


Making Home for Christmas

by lw531



Series: MJ's Peter [2]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Awesome Michelle Jones, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Michelle Jones gets soft, Michelle Jones-centric, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Has Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Has a Family, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Peter Parker is a Mess, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Blip, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Song: Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars), Supportive May Parker (Spider-Man), Vulture nightmare, high school dance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21672913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lw531/pseuds/lw531
Summary: “I just want a nickname only I can call you,” he says taking her in his arms,“You’ll know when it comes to you,” she says as he turns to face her, “all my nick names have meanings. Loser for everyday, Dork when I’m playful, Dumbo when I’m extra soft, and Parker when I’m heady,” she explains, “and I want a nickname that gives me what you don’t give anyone else.”“Just when I think,” he begins keeping his eyes on her lips, which he hadn’t kissed much that day. But his eyes linger on her lips and then move up to her eyes and back to her lips because looking is all he can do for the words he wants to say, he’s been wanting to say, he stops himself short and breathes, “you couldn’t get more amazing.”She presses a kiss to his lips and kissing her back is all he can do to not tell her he’s in love with her.
Relationships: Betty Brant & Michelle Jones, Betty Brant/Ned Leeds, Happy Hogan/May Parker (Spider-Man), Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker
Series: MJ's Peter [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1562398
Comments: 12
Kudos: 103





	1. Post blip adjustments

As MJ predicted, Ned and Betty were back together by the time there leaves were falling from the trees. Between Betty relinquishing control of her life after submitting her college list and Ned finally getting the Stark internship of his dreams, there was a rhythm at Midtown High. MJ was offering after school art classes at the community center, a better gig than the cafe job, though she coded it as working with adults because, you know, she had to protect her hard edges rep. 

Even she and Peter minimized PDA in the halls. A smile here, eating lunch together with Ned and sometimes Betty, not interrupting her captain duties for decathlon at their practices. Their weekly dinners with May were respectful and courteous, and she’d linger only when May was out with friends, mostly Happy, working to commit to memory all the ways she could make Peter squirm. 

May afforded them more liberty and trust, having come to terms with how weeks after the European trip, he’d need another source of warmth to calm the illusions. There were days May’s shifts meant she couldn’t be there with him. Letting MJ stay over was the best way to save her house and take care of her boy. 

Under Doctor Strange’s recommendation, he also had to minimize his Spider-Manning given the built up stress from the blip to Mysterio that Peter was still working through. Pepper had converted his internship to pay, as he was consulting on remaining tech that none of her existing employees or she could comprehend. EDITH was a happy secret among Stark Industries leadership and her family and committed to minimizing its uses in order to not be--and Peter included--confiscated by SHIELD. 

On Ned’s birthday, Betty and Ned in denial about being back together, Ned’s family cooked for them and they spent the night watching the three episodes _Star Wars_ spin-off on Disney Plus. Midterms delayed their ability to watch it the past two weeks. “Thanks for coming over, guys,” Ned said, “y’all are the best.”

“You are,” MJ said as she grabbed more lumpia from the kitchen, “I love that your family made vegetarian options for me, that was really sweet, dork.”

“I wonder why Misses Leeds kept insisting on telling me to come back to learn a family recipe…”

Peter shrugged while meeting MJ’s knowing _I told you so_ look. 

“My uncle got me the new _Mandalorian_ game,” Ned says, “if y’all wanna play after?”

“I’ve gotta be at work early tomorrow, Leeds,” MJ answers sitting next to Peter, “I’ve gotta fill in for someone.

“I’d love to play,” Betty said, “I’ve learned that video games help relieve stress and my therapist says I need to work on that more, you know, letting my guard down and not being a perfectionist.” 

“Great,” Ned says, eyes unable to contain the smile that his lips are trying to contain, “Peter?”

“I should probably walk MJ home,” he answers, “May and I are running errands tomorrow, gotta restock on holiday decor.”

“I’ll definitely take a raincheck, Leeds,” MJ offers, “next week, I’ll take you on.”

“Let me walk you to the door,” Ned says getting up.

“Dude,” Peter says, “we’re here all the time, brother from another mother, don’t worry about it.

“Well,” Betty says getting up, “let me hug both of you goo’bye then.”

“See ya Monday, Betty,” Peter said as he waited for MJ by the door.

“Let me know how the game is Sunday, Betty,” MJ says as they part ways. 

Walking down the stairs, MJ wraps her scarf around her neck one more time as Peter zips up his jacket behind her. 

“May working a late-night shift?” MJ asks as they round the corner towards the subway.

“Yeah,” Peter says shoving his hands in his pocket, “she wanted to pick up an extra shift because of how few of our Christmas decorations we were able to salvage.”

“I’ll just text my mom and let her know I’m staying at a friend’s house and then text Betty for cover--”

“MJ,” Peter whines, “I don’t like lying to your mom--

“I’m lying to my mom,” MJ interrupts as she takes her fingers out of her mitten covers, “and sometimes I just tell her I’m staying with you without telling her May’s not in the house--

“This is so weird,” he sighs, “I _am_ trying to get better about sleeping, only engaging in petty crime, meeting with Strange weekly.”

“You think I only do this for you?” she asks him as they walk down to the subway, “you help me sleep, too.”

“You never told me you had trouble sleeping,” he says as they wait for their train. 

“You never asked,” she tells him, “and we’ve been pretty good about the planning so this is only like the second lie I’ve told my mom about, you know…”

“I've only been to dinner with your family like _one_ time and I’m not trying to give them a reason to not trust me.”

“Does May trust me with you?” she asks him as the express rolls in. 

“Yeah,” Peter answers, “but there’s a double standard here because patriarchy says I can ruin your life, not the other way around-- even if that is messed up logic.”

“Exactly,” MJ says, “my mom trusts me to take care of myself and knows that I love my work too much to make irresponsible choices. And she knows you’re scared of me _slash_ worship the ground I walk on,” she says waiting for the express train to leave the station, “so we’re fine.”

“Easy for you to say,” Peter says, “you know May adores you.”

“My parents are, well,” she says looking at the ground trying to find the words. Turning her gaze towards him, she concludes, “my parents want to slow down how they have to think of me, they’re still working through what it means that I’m back. They’ve rebuilt their lives, _buried me_ and here I am, in ways that they love but that have shaken their lives. It’s weird and sometimes it hurts but, with you, I know and with other blip returners, we travel the world trying to find our place in it because of how much that has changed without us.”

“I sometimes take that for granted,” Peter says, “that it’s hard for people you love to come back from the dead and be in your life in unexpected ways...Ned and his brothers blipped, which emptied and then re-filled his parents’ house in ways that they’re making sense of--with you, it was just you and…

“Exactly,” she says as they board the train, “I struggled with people before and my family doesn’t know what to do with me now that the blip put a lot of how I lived into perspective. They want their broody, introverted teenager who never wanted or needed to talk to them back.”

Peter takes her hand and she leaned her head on his shoulder. 

“I forget what it’s like for those who weren’t at the front lines,” Peter begins to say, “who weren’t there, that they lost people and time too…”

“Watching movies is a choice and not everyone,” she says taking a deep breath,” like people like my parents, want to…”

“I’m sorry you can’t tell them,” Peter says.

“They wouldn’t want to hear it if I could,” she says, “I’ve tried every way and at this point, I’m just focusing on being visible to those who want to see me,” she concludes with a smile, “like you, Dumbo,” she adds pulling on his ear. 

“Aww, MJ,” he groans as they walk up to the front door.

“It’s my favorite nickname for you, Parker,” she says as he lets her in. "Dumbo saved lives and warmed people's hearts, Parker, all the softness you bring to me."

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I mean sometimes I catch you getting up to grab your sketch pad, or when you can’t sleep after one of my nightmares…”  
> “You’re observant,” she says grabbing a handful of popcorn, “it helps set my mind at ease, the drawing…  
> “I know,” he said smoothing his fingertips at the sensitive portion of her temple where her skin meets her hairline, “but what do you draw?”  
> “I put the pain on paper,” she says cuddling closer and setting her hand on his thigh, “and sometimes it’s hard to share. I’ve been able to put the pieces together over time and as much as it helps me understand you, I don’t want to remind you…”  
> “You don’t need to protect me MJ,” he says resting his chin on her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to set up a rhythm between Peter & MJ that didn't overlook the toll of the blip. Please let me know what you think and thank you for visiting. :)

Once inside, stands in the doorway watching MJ plop her book bag on an armchair, hang up her jacket, kick off her fuggs and make her way to the kitchen for tea. He takes a beat, watching her get comfortable, at home, with him because it’s so different than she feels with her family. He doesn’t get used to hearing about parents, still living, maintaining distance from their live kid when May works so hard to be involved in his life. They’re not  _ mean,  _ they’re friendly and warm; they just don’t know what to do with MJ. 

Flash goes through the same thing, and it’s not a race-specific thing. MJ goes to a group called blip orphans on Wednesday--a group she sought out--where she doesn’t look like everybody but she’s not the only like her there. Some of those who blipped were the only ones in their family, some of those families were hard to find or didn’t want to be found. At least MJ’s parents’ lives didn’t change to the point that they moved. 

Because it’s just him and May and the Starks, their collective everyday around the blip is rooted in someone trying to right wrongs the best way they knew how, watching MJ be at home at the Parker’s colored his grief differently, She, and others, were a reminder of how the actions of the few influenced the lives of the many. “Parker,” she calls out from the kitchen as he sits on the couch, “want anything?”

“Egg rolls in the fridge and maybe some popcorn,” Peter calls out from the couch, “if that’s okay?”

“Got it,” she says.

He turns from his place on the couch to watch her move across his kitchen like it’s hers. She pulls out a serving tray from the pantry, a request she made after the third visit, when Peter’s late night cravings inspired multiple steps up and down the stairs. She put the popcorn in the microwave, set the egg rolls on a baking sheet and in their oven. “What?” she asks when she catches him watching her.

“Nothing,” he says turning around and turning on the living room lamps. He didn’t want to tell her how he loved how comfortable she was there. She was really good about being there for him, even though she said she got something out of it, her willingness to spend time with him was just, so awesome. 

“Loser,” she says as she sits in the armchair next to the couch, “your face is doing all the happy.”

“What happy?” he asks trying to swallow his smile. 

She side-eyes him while she sips her tea, “you know…”

“What?” he asks grabbing a handful of popcorn. 

“What are your weekend plans?” 

“Catching up on homework and some tech stuff for Stark,” he answers, “try to get a full night’s sleep at least one of the days.”

“No Spider-Manning?”

He shakes his head, “it’s been a heavy week, Morgan’s first birthday without Mister Stark and I’m trying not to, you know.”

She nods. “Glad I’m working. Less time at home; I’ll try to sneak in some time in the studio, though.”

“Yeah?”

She nods, “it’s soothing to be alone with pastels and huge white paper, it’s good me time.”

“Hmm,” he says leaning his head to the side, looking at her from under his eyelids. 

She keeps his gaze, steady and slow, a slow smile crept across her face until the smell of egg rolls wafted into the living room.”I’ll go get those.”

“You know,” he says as she comes back, “You know you’ve shown me less of your drawings since we’ve started dating…”

“Really?” she asks taking up some couch next to him, “huh.”

“I mean sometimes I catch you getting up to grab your sketch pad, or when you can’t sleep after one of my nightmares…”

“ _ You’re  _ observant,” she says grabbing a handful of popcorn, “it helps set my mind at ease, the drawing…

“I know,” he said smoothing his fingertips at the sensitive portion of her temple where her skin meets her hairline, “but what do you draw?”

“I put the pain on paper,” she says cuddling closer and setting her hand on his thigh, “and sometimes it’s hard to share. I’ve been able to put the pieces together over time and as much as it helps me understand you, I don’t want to remind you…”

“You don’t need to protect me MJ,” he says resting his chin on her head. 

“I’ll show you some soon,” she offers, turning and wrapping her arms around him, “over the morning and then we can talk about it.”

“Deal,” he whispers kissing the top of her head, “lemme grab an egg roll and then you can lay on me again.”

When he returns with the egg roll, she rests her head on his chest and takes in a deep breath. With her laying on him like that, it’s hard to not tell her he loves her. Those are words he’s been thinking about for a while but Dr. Strange has warned him about post-grief attachment and encouraged him to take it slow because, their lives went through drastic changes that may be informing greater desire for attachment, which May translated for him to being about how the world’s changes may make those who left and came back more clingy. 

“May must be preparing for the holidays,” MJ says, “a couple months away and since this is the first post-blip Christmas here, she probably wants to make it a good one, with new traditions…”

“The Starks invited us over,” Peter begins, “because, you know, but I think May is really working to keep me grounded here around non-Avengers.”

“Goes back to what you were saying this summer,” MJ said, “wanting to have a normal life.”

“Yeah, and yet I was in a war I can barely talk about with anyone--

“But me,” she said lifting her head from his chest, “and Ned?”

“Of course,” he answers tracing her chin, “you’ve seen some of the things I’ve come up again but talking to the Hulk, Falcon, even Ant-Man about the process and the journey to bring us back…”

“Like I talk to blip orphans,” she says setting her hand over his heart, “I guess that’s how she grapples with what you walked into and ended up facing, trying to keep the identity you use to engage in the world while the Avengers remind you that you didn’t face all that alone…”

“That’s why I’m glad Stark Industries gave Ned an internship,” MJ says, “because, as the guy in the chair, he’s the one closest to navigating both of those worlds, and he has the brains to do so.”

Peter nodded as she put the pieces of his life together, watching her get animated, speaking with her words and her arms. “And I guess your parents don’t know what to do with how the grief of losing you defined their lives because they’re grieving the loss of grief and the way their life is changing again because you’re here. There’s a way that grief defined them, the powerlessness of both the loss and your return, that they don’t know how to make sense out of…”

“Hmm,” she then says, “you’re pretty thoughtful, Parker.”

“Your observation skills are contagious,” he says, “and I feel like you’re falling asleep on me.”

“No,” she says yawning, “just being pensive, double date ending in deep thoughts, dork, and a lot more to think about.”

“We’re well-read people who talk about our feelings all the time,” he says, “it’s a thing we do.”

“And video games,” she says sitting up, “and Uno flip and--

“MJ?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go upstairs.”

He grabs the tray, she grabs her book bag they go up the stairs and down the hall to his room. He set the tray on the desk in his room and scans the room for what needs to be addressed. He hears her brushing her teeth in the bathroom, book bag still with her. He picked up his clothes, his PC and tablet parts from the ground, throwing dirty clothes in the hamper and setting the tech parts on the shelves he placed above his desk. “Forgot the clean before you left this morning?” she asks from the doorway.

“May told me during school she took an extra shift,” he says as he places the final tablet on the top shelf, “so, no, I wasn’t planning on you being here…”

She nods as she walks in, “My PJ’s still on the top bunk?”

He nods as she sets her book bag on his desk chair, grabs the t-shirt and pants of his she usually sleeps in to go change. She never sleeps on the top bunk, that was more for Ned given the rate of his visits, but he feels May sets MJ’s pajamas there as a reminder of the lines they shouldn’t be crossing. “I’mna go turn off the lights downstairs, babe, do you need anything while I’m down there?!” 

“The other fifteen years of my life,” she said from the other side of the bedroom door. 

“Aww, Em!” he whined down the stairs. 

“You need a better nickname for me, Parker,” she says when he returns to his room.

“Can’t call you sweetie, or woman or babe or hun,” he grumbles as he grabs his PJ’s, “you get call me dork, loser, dumbo, Parker and--

“And?” she says wrapping her legs around his. 

“I just want a nickname only  _ I  _ can call you,” he says taking her in his arms, 

“You’ll know when it comes to you,” she says as he turns to face her, “all my nicknames have meanings. Loser for every day, Dork when I’m playful, Dumbo when I’m extra soft, and Parker when I’m heady,” she explains, “and I want a nickname that gives me what you don’t give anyone else.”

“Just when I think,” he begins keeping his eyes on her lips, which he hadn’t kissed much that day. But his eyes linger on her lips and then move up to her eyes and back to her lips because looking is all he can do for the words he wants to say, he’s been wanting to say, he stops himself short and breathes, “you couldn’t get more amazing.”

She presses a kiss to his lips and kissing her back is all he can do to not tell her he’s in love with her. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I am still thinking this story through. How do you like the Peter/MJ dynamic?


	3. Here now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I call your tongue sticking out and your eyebrows furrowed like this,” he explains furrowing her eyebrows, arching his back, setting the pad on his lap, and sticking his tongue out, “you’re super- concentrated can’t be bothered face--even now, you had that face, what were you drawing?”  
> “You,” she says, “sleeping in my room, and I’m not done yet,” she adds closing the sketchpad in her lap and setting it on her desk. “  
> “You really,” he begins to say, his teasing voice coming out, “you really do--  
> “Like you?” she asks giving him a peck on the lips. “I’m pretty nuts about you, loser,” she says getting into bed with him. “Thought we established that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and for visiting. <3 <3  
> MJ's really hard to write because we have so little. Thinking about what Peter's been through, and how observant she is, I wrote this in consideration for what she'd have to work through to get close to heart on his sleeve Peter.  
> The characters belong to Marvel Comics and Sony

The night after Ned’s birthday was pretty low key. MJ awoke to Peter calling out, “No! No! No!” but was able to awaken him before he kicked the top bunk. The first time he kicked it, he broke a couple of the boards. Happy, before he started dating May of course, offered to see if there was a material he couldn’t destroy and had that in its place. 

MJ awoke at what she assumed was the third no, he tends to cry out single words three times when in emotional distress. She pulled herself out of the bed from the head and grabbed his desk chair. She left it distant enough to not get smacked in his feeble attempt to send out a web shooter--she learned that the hard way--but close enough to grab his hand. May, she and Doctor Strange discussed how pre-blip stories were the best way to coax him into the present. “Remember Liz’s party,” she begins, “when I was like making a peanut butter sandwich...you were so nervous about being there, like you and Ned had never been to a party. I thought it strange that you would bring a backpack to a party, like, who does that? And then you disappeared, and then Ned said Spider-Man was on his way and then he wasn’t...I still can’t believe he blurted it out in gym class.”

Doctor Strange that repeating stories were okay, so long as they weren’t repeated consecutively. MJ last used that story on his birthday, where she spent the night after May cooked dinner. She uses detention and decathlon meeting ones, finding ways to either insert humor, usually for the level 1 nightmares, her feelings for him for about levels 2-3. She saves hope and the good he’s done for the most intense ones, because Dr. Strange says those usually stem from lingering feelings of failure, guilt, and shame either from the Infinity War and its reprisal or from Mysterio’s manipulations. 

The first mornings, he was all apologies, especially after the day he accidentally hit her. He didn’t go swinging for a week after that, and focused more of his time on Ned. He’s learned to stop apologizing, though his “sorry’s” have been replaced by tears and long periods of silence where she smoothed his back repeating, “It’s okay to be scared, it’s okay to be sad, we’re still here.”

He didn’t like talking about it right away, which MJ understood. As a person who struggled to get close to people, she wasn’t one to push someone to share more than they were ready. He was navigating super powers, their limitations all the while being a teenager. Responsibilities he chose, realities he didn’t, and a burden few people that young took on let alone knew how to share. On top of that the blip didn’t make it easier, they missed years of music; some of their favorites were considered classics and little things like that and food and animals getting off the endangered list and the drastic climate change lessons emerging when the population doubles, well, who could figure any of it out? 

MJ was invested in learning how to take care of herself. She started with her hair because all the ways Peter liked touching and playing with it brought it more attention than she was used to getting. She liked the attention, she loved it, and she wanted to continue getting it without being scared of what Peter would find in the rarely combed combos she placed on it. 

Like most young women like her, she turned to YouTube, and started watching videos to take better care of it. It took a while, she talked to her counselor about how to make sure she was doing it for herself and not a boy because, you know, she didn’t put time in it because she was investing time in reading, drawing, navigating a hyper-surveilled world. So YouTube and a few children’s books like  _ Hair Love  _ helped her find a way to make fixing her hair about her. 

Her favorite channels were MoKnowsHair because Monica’s hair was closer to hers, though she also appreciated naptural85’s techniques. The bantu knot was her favorite, she could keep her hair up either for conditioning or styling when she decided to wear it down. She spent most of the early fall learning how to make it stick without making it tight, helping her get more comfortable with the way Peter pulled on curls, traced the line of baby hairs surrounding her face, and smoothed his hand over her waves. 

The day before Veteran’s Day, her mom caught her taking out her bantu knot and said, “Hey, ‘Chelle, what are you using to condition your hair?”

“Umm, something with Shea Butter, but I put in multicultural curls cream this time because I like the way it holds.”

Sondra nods in response, and MJ doesn’t know what to make of the face. It’s a new face she’s not used to seeing. As she flips her hair and softens out the curls, her mom does more talking. 

“I know being back is hard for you, too.”

MJ stands in front of the bathroom mirror taking in the body of her hair and the weight of her mother’s words, waiting for more. 

“I just got a report about the “kids who blipped families who didn’t” group and,” she said taking a deep breath, “just wow.”

“What?”

“I didn’t know the school did that--

“We asked them too,” MJ said, “after Europe, we said we need to talk about being back and its effect on our families and each other…”

“And they listened?”

MJ nodded, pursing her lips together, all the while thinking  _ somebody had to.  _

“And you’re going all the time, your counselor’s letter told me,” she said.

“Yup,” she says as she flips her hair back and forth, “it’s during lunch so it doesn’t really affect my classes.”

“That’s good, Michelle,” she says with a chipper voice, “gives me something to think about, because I know I’ve not been good all this time, you know, with…”

“My counselor says it’s hard to have grieved a loss that you didn’t expect,” MJ interrupts biting the bait of interest, “and a loss unsettled by the unexpected return. Not like divorce or estrangement. You thought I died. I did. And then I come back after you’ve gotten used me not being around--

“We were never,” her mom said putting her hand to her heart; MJ could hear a choke. “Never used to you not being here.”

“I mean,” MJ begins and then realize she’s in her heady space where she doesn’t show feelings, “we’re all hurt and confused and none of us knows how to talk about it because of the--

“A part of who I was left with you, MJ,” her mom says clearing her throat, “and I realized my mistakes, what I wished I’d have done differently and then you appear out of thin air looking all around your room right after I resigned to needing to not leave it as a shrine…”

MJ blinks back watery eyes, remembering that day. She went from being on a bed to the floor, blinking like she didn’t know where she had been and seeing different posters on the wall. “Coming to terms with being gone isn’t easy,” she says turning to face her mom but keeping her eyes on the ground, “you were moving on, but it felt like I walked right back into being invisible…”

Her mom reaches out to hug her and MJ doesn’t know what to do with herself for a minute. They weren’t huggers and this was as much talking about it as her mom was willing to do in the months she had been back. Her mom was warm and full of grief weight, that weight that says I’m sorry I missed you please help me all at once. A weight that is full not of what she needed to take but of something she didn’t know she could empty into. “I know you’ve been doing a lot of the work by yourself and--

“Thanks,” is all MJ can say because she's learned through practice, anything else would be slapping her mother with this sense of failure. She already argued with her counselor about it; other people in her group shared family’s responses to their self-recognition of the work they were doing to reintegrate themselves. Her mom had been through enough and she didn’t want to add more. She didn’t want to take on more either. 

“I know you’ll have the house alone for the next couple days,” her mom says as they break apart, “but can we do breakfast on Sunday, vegan spot of your choice?”

MJ nods, “Yeah,” and adds, “thanks for not being weird about me spending time with Peter. We’re being safe and taking our time, but being with him helps me feel less strange…”

“I trust you,” her mom said, adding, “he should probably come again for dinner, yeah?”

“He’d like that.” 

Peter was set to come after his EDITH/Stark internship responsibilities. She gets a text in the middle of finishing her calc homework that reads  _ can you come to your bedroom window _ ? “Dork,” she mutters as she leaves the dining table where she was doing her homework, walking down the hallway towards her room. 

As she turns on the light of her bedroom, she sees the red and blue-clad figure waving at her from the other side of the window. “Jesus fuck!” she yells as her eyes meet his. 

“Next time,” she says as she opens it, “let me know you’re already here so I don’t freak out.”

“Sorry, Em,” he offers as he crawls in, “I didn’t feel like waiting for the subway and I wanted to stretch my arms.”

“Luckily they left an hour ago,” she says as he sets his feet on the floor of her bedroom, “otherwise this would have been awkward.”

“Didn’t think of that,” he admits as she turns to give him privacy to change. . 

She shrugs as she hears the suit fall to the ground, keeping turned from seeing him standing in her room clad only in boxers. She’s better about it at his place when she accidentally forgets to turn away from him, but her room is different, partly because they’re rarely in there, partly because she’s fallen asleep too many times dreaming about the things she wants him to do to her in her bunk bed-less room. 

“Join me at the dining table when you’re done here, I’m still homeworking.”

“Got it,” he said as she walked out the room. 

“Do I have to wear pants?” he called out from her room. 

She thought about it, sitting at her table. Legs are legs but he’d be in his boxers and a t-shirt and that’d make for some next-level cuddling later....”Why don’t you wanna wear pants?” she asks as she flips the page of her notebook. 

“Because I’ve been in clothes too long!” he calls out, “Please, MJ!” 

“Fine,” she grumbles as she gets back to the problem set in front of her. She tries not to look completely up when Peter starts rummaging through her kitchen to grab a drink and something to eat. When he joins her at the table, she asks, “Any homework?”

He shakes his head as he takes a bite of a sandwich he made, “I finished it before work, so I left books at home before I went to Stark’s.”

She looks up at him, chewing on his grilled sandwich and says, “Nerd.”

“I mean I’ve pretty good with physics, a little ahead actually, and with calc too, so if you have any questions, just let me know--

“Thanks,” she answers, “I should be done fairly quickly, so if you wanna turn on the tv or whatever, you’re more than welcome.”

In the time it takes her to finish her calc and other homework, he’s watched a couple of episodes of  _ The Office  _ and  _ Scrubs _ . She leaves him to watch more of  _ The Office  _ as she puts her books in her room, washes her face, brushes her teeth before joining him. 

“How’d you get all your homework done,” she begins to ask as she sits in her corner of the sectional, “I mean I’m just as busy and as quick working as you.”

“I didn’t sleep last night,” he confesses pursing his mouth together, “or the night before. Sometimes I get nervous about being here because, you know, your parents and all the fears of impressing them and what May warns about us being home alone for practically two days and I need something to distract me besides--

“Crawling all over your ceiling?” she asks to save the embarrassment blooming over his face. 

“Mmhmm,” he says nodding very quickly. 

“You’re cute,” she says stretching her legs out to his hands. She lies on her front, needing to position herself opposite the way she was sitting at the table. 

He sets his hand on them as they continue watching  _ The Office  _ reruns. He’s running his fingers from her heel to her calves in ways that soften her. It soothes and warms her, switching gears about the almost awkward conversation his rambling almost took them to. She’s not sure who’s more unwilling to broach the topic between them because every time they get close, the other redirects. 

After London, they’ve had moments of kissing hot and heavy, where they’ve both been aroused and backed away out of fear. From the way he touches her on nights like that, she presumes they’d be really careful with each other. “I like the way you do that,” she says turning her head to look at him, “it chills and warms me all at once.”

“Your skin is so soft,” he breathes, his eyes following his finger’s path, “it feels good to touch you.”

“It feels good to be touched,” she whispers without moving. She turns back around to watch tv all the while he goes from tracing a line from her heel to the bottom half of her knee to drawing small circles on her Achilles’ heel. In moments like this, she wants to tell him that she loves him, but the words feel too big and too small all at once so she tries to focus on their shared silence. 

She knows he’s fallen asleep when, after his laughter dies down, his hand stops moving. He’s sleeping in a sitting position, head over the couch. The last time he fell asleep like that, she drew it. It was at May’s of course, and May walked in while MJ was focusing on the shadow and contrast around his ear. She giggled as she walked past them to the kitchen, May putting her bag in the fridge stirring him to wake. 

He never knew why. 

There, though, it was hard to wake him up. “Pete,” she began, “let’s get you to bed.”

“Hmm,” he muttered.

“C’mon, Petey,” she said, “let’s go to my bed and I’ll tuck you in.”

She leads him to her room by a hand and he makes his way under her comforter. As she smoothes a curl from his forehead, he reaches for her hand and says, “Stay.”

She nods, squeezes his hand and says, “Lemme turn off the other rooms’ lights, okay?”

His eyes are open looking out the window when she gets back. 

She grabs her sketchpad and flips open to a page she started of him. Well, not just of him. She’s been thinking about giving him an Avenger’s portrait that differs from the ones that were popular post-blip. Over their months together, she’s gotten to know that some of the Avengers are more than fellow Infinity War veterans to him and she wanted to give him something that reminded him of that. The page she opened up to isn’t anywhere near done, a mixture of design ideas and words that she hopes to start putting on canvas soon. 

“What are you drawing?” he asks propping his head up with his hand to get a better sight of her. 

“Something I started a couple of months ago,” she says pulling out a pencil case from her desk. 

“Can I see,” he asks crawling over to the side of the bed closest to her. 

“This one’s not done,” she answers closing it. But there’s another one I can show you,” she says getting up and grabbing another sketch pad, “The one from the summer is done.”

She hands it over to him and crawls into bed next to him to prep for the questions that will follow. 

“You drew me in London?” he asks, “sleeping?”

She nods, “I wanted a resting picture of you,” she explains, “one of a Peter not many get to see.”

“This is amazing,” he says holding her gaze. . 

It’s the gaze he gave after he realized she  _ didn’t  _ catch him getting her the Black Dahlia necklace. As jittery as she was about drinking espresso before running into him, the way he looked at her made her giddy which she was grateful she could blame on espresso. The afternoon pre-water elemental was one of her favorite afternoons with him between, the “Boh” flirting thing they had going on and the way he stayed with her while she took pictures of the crabs. “You looked so peaceful and, you know, after we kissed and you came to see me I wanted...I wanted a peaceful Peter I could keep to myself.”

“And you drew me with--” he crawls over to her and begins to explain what amazes him, “like the swoosh my hair does when I'm sleeping--May told me about that one when I was little--and the crease of my eyebrow, MJ, I look at this and see, aww, MJ.”

“I’m observant, Parker,” she says swallowing hard. Her face is warm as she smiles, completely melted by his reaction to the drawing. 

“But you got everything,” he says, “I’ve seen my face banged up enough to know that you really must have sat there and just…” he mimics her drawing facial expressions and hand movements. 

“Do I really look like that? She asks with a giggle.

“I call your tongue sticking out and your eyebrows furrowed like this,” he explains furrowing her eyebrows, arching his back, setting the pad on his lap, and sticking his tongue out, “your “   
super-concentrated can’t be bothered” face.”

She slides herself next to him, pulling the blanket over her and then bends over to kiss his lips. He pulls her in closer and then breaks their kissing apart. 

He searches her face for a beat, and she follows his eyes’ movement over her. His face is flushed and she runs her fingers through his hair, then smooths a hand down the side of his face. “Whatcha thinkin?” she asks him.

He shrugs and shakes his head, “I guess I want you to explain more of your drawings to me,” he answers, “like your process, yeah, I think that’s the word I was looking for. I wanna know more about how your brain works.”

She explains her step by step process of drawing, building definition beyond the quick studies she’d do of scenes or people like she had when she drew him in detention. He lays on her as she explains, flipping to pages like the Ned and Betty study or the still life of the room she stayed in while they were in Venice. “The night I caught you in the hallway, I really wanted you to stay so I could kiss you.

“Hmm,” is all she hears from him in response. In all her explaining, she failed to see how he had balled himself into a sleeping position. 

She moves her sketchpad to the nightstand on her side of the bed, turns off the lamp over her head, spoons him and whispers, “Love you, Peter Parker,” before settling her head in the crook of his neck to go to sleep.

***

The sound of his cries wakes her up. She opens her eyes and turns to find him trying to do something but he’s lying on his belly, acting as though he can’t lift himself with his hands. This is a new position, a nightmare she wasn’t used to. She watches him try as he might lift from wherever he was, grunting as though there was a weight on his back. “Peter,” she says smoothing her hand on his back.

“I’m stuck down here,” he pushes out, “please, somebody help!”

Her heart begins to hurt on seeing him struggle, yet she knows her tears aren’t going to help him. So, she does what she does best and observes, scanning his figure and her memory to see if she piece together where his mind took him and what she can do, if anything, to bring him back. From the way he keeps saying he’s stuck, she knows he’s got to get himself out from wherever he is. After he discussed his first trapped dream, one she didn’t see, with Dr. Strange, he told her that Dr. Strange encouraged him to use those moments to rebuild trust in himself. Both Dr. Strange and her counselor told her about his “blip” nightmares as a sign of unresolved failure, which is when she realized she needed to stop calling him "loser" to his face. 

She lays on her belly next to him and says, “You can do it, Peter,” looking at the back of his head, “you’ve already done it, you can do it again, and then we can help you.”

She wraps herself around his back as he continues to find his bearings to push himself up and out of wherever his nightmares and grief took him. Her eyes were watering at the sight of his grief, despite her rational mind telling her his torture was not hers to overcome. 

“C’mon, Spider-Man,” he grunts as he pushes himself up with effort and grunts all the way up. 

As he pushes himself up, she positions herself behind him, so she could at least be there when was done. His cry is guttural and full of grief, rage, and determination. When he’s done, he sits up on the bed, looking around at whatever form of grief or torture or crisis that challenged him in such a way. 

This is the first time she’s seen him struggle like this, save himself from whatever scenario he was in while not being able to snap out of the flashback. She leans on his back first, and when he doesn’t dart or jerk away, she wraps an arm around him and says, “I”m here for you, Peter,” she continues, “sorry no one was there with you when you were trapped, but we’re here now, Peter. I’m here now.”

When he rests a hand on the arm she wraps around him, his breathing starts to even and he blinks. He turns his head enough to look at her. She takes him in, glowing with the blue tint of night covering his figure. His face is tired, his eyes are puffy and he can’t quite meet her eyes. 

She doesn’t let go of him even though she’s not sure what his lack of eye contact means. He’s not fighting her. She doesn’t let go because she feels his body, over time, release the tension his form held when he was trapped. She wants to cry because she doesn’t remember any of his stories ever explaining the level of trapped he looked and sounded that night. 

Watching him, she reviews what she remembers. He told her about the Infinity War, the battle over the infinity stones and how he got caught on the spaceship, what it was like battling Thanos with Dr. Strange, Iron Man, and Star-Lord and his team. He told about what it was like to come back, how Dr. Strange’s mystical arts brought them back to earth and killing aliens, getting stuck with the glove that he couldn’t it take to the time machine and feeling like Tony dying was his fault. That one, though, he didn’t explain.

She smooths her hands against his arms. “It’s okay, Peter,” she says while yawning, “you’re okay. We’re okay.”

Over the months, what she’s learned of his experiences shed light on the inevitable effects of war on the young. No amount of books could tell her anything more or different than what she’s seen in Peter’s grieving process and the internal torment that bursts out in unexpected ways. They call it survivor’s guilt or remorse, among other names, and for her, it’s enough to call it hurt, deep, aching indescribable hurt. Not a fan of violence, he indirectly gave her insight into people who had to or decided to participate in resistant struggles for something better. These thoughts and his softening posture somehow put her to sleep as wrapped as she commits to staying around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think. 
> 
> Returners - I hope you liked the update. In rereading it, I realized there were some ideas that I hadn't fully considered and, considering how it ends, I wanted to smooth out the rough spots.


	4. Next Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He loved MJ for staying where she stood, for standing in a grief it wasn’t his job to console. So, when she approaches him and puts her forehead against his, it’s a sadness that’s there and that no one should have to carry. “What do you wanna do today?” he asked.  
> “Just be with you, Dumbo” she answered lifting her head. “Whatever you want…”  
> He stood there for a bit, considering MJ still in her pjs, messy bun atop her head.  
> “You’ve got a sneaky look about you, Parker,” she said spreading cream cheese on her bagel.

That night when vulture left him for dead under concrete debris tested both his determination and his sense of inner strength. Talking about the effects of Mysterio and the Infinity War has helped him see that night in a new light. At the time, Mr. Stark wanted him to think more critically about what was actually his responsibility--he needed to be more than the suit. 

But he couldn’t shake the loss, he couldn’t shake the fear of another. 

MJ holding him through it was unexpected. He heard what she said as he was leaving the debris he had imagined was still on top of him. She couldn’t take away his burden, but she’d be there in the end, after it, and the relief, warmth that swept through him calmed him down. 

He awoke with the sight of the sun rising to his right, showing through MJ’s window. “God, I love you, MJ,” he whispers over her sleeping head. He bends his neck to kiss the top of her head and then smooths his hand against the curtain of hair falling down her back. The stress of the night clung to his clothes, but he was determined to wait till MJ showed signs of being awake before he would do something about it. As the sun grows brighter outside, he feels MJ stir and squeezes him tighter. 

He waits for a beat before he says, “Hey.”

“Go back to sleep, dork,” she says turning her head away from the window. 

“Gimme a minute,” he says lifting her up, “I’ll be right back.”

He grabs his bag and heads to the bathroom to shower. The hot water felt good on his shoulders, the pressure-relieving on his tense back. He works not to get caught in the fears that tend to creep up after a lucid nightmare. As alone as he had felt, he made it, he needed to remember that much, even though there were moments he didn’t. There were moments he did. 

On returning to MJ’s room, he finds her sleeping, spread out over the bed, with little room for him to enter. He leaves her there, closing the door behind him. He goes to the kitchen throws his PJs and his clothes from the other day in for a wash. Once the machine is going, he helps himself to a bowl of oatmeal and takes in the morning with peace, resisting the urge to scroll the internet for news. 

Tony didn’t want him to be an avenger. He had done his best, which Peter protested along the way, to keep him from bearing the responsibility. Losing him, and costing his friends their safety put a lot of why Tony didn’t want him on the spaceship or attacking criminals by himself in perspective. Everything in between was also enough, and he struggled with the choice he made to help people in the first place, not because it wasn’t the right thing to do because of how quickly he learned doing the right thing also brought more risks with it. 

When the washer cycle comes to an end, he gets up to put his clothes in the dryer. He’s grateful his clothes were all in the same color family because there was that one time, in haste, he ended up with lavender socks. As he closes the dryer, he hears MJ say, “You’re just making yourself at home, aren’t you, Parker?”

“My PJs were sweaty and the clothes I wore yesterday had a couple of food stains and I didn’t want to disturb you.”

MJ shrugs, “I usually walk around naked when I’m by myself,” adding, “clothes can be constricting.”

“Yeah,” he said all of a sudden remembering the night before, “and how’d you sleep? I wasn’t too bad was I?”

She shook her head as she walked around him to the fridge. “You were just trying to free yourself from something--

“The night of homecoming, the Vulture--Liz’s dad--trapped me under concrete debris and I didn’t have the suit for a while because Mister Stark was angry about the arms dealing I got involved in when I was following the Vulture.”

She nods as she sets a bagel she grabbed by the fridge in the slicer, “Oh, wow,” she says turning to face him with the cream cheese in her hand. 

Unlike the past couple of dreams, he let himself see her get teary-eyed, swallowing hard because he didn’t like to tell people how much he suffered. He felt so small, like when he lost his mom and dad and everyone was crying around him. Small because he couldn’t comfort him and small because it wasn’t supposed to be his job. 

He loved MJ for staying where she stood, for standing in grief it wasn’t his job to console. So, when she approaches him and puts her forehead against his, it’s a sadness that’s there and that no one should have to carry. “What do you wanna do today?” he asked. 

“Just be with you, Dumbo” she answered lifting her head. “Whatever you want…”

He stood there for a bit, considering MJ still in her PJs, messy bun atop her head. 

“You’ve got a sneaky look about you, Parker,” she said spreading cream cheese on her bagel.

“Kinda wishing I didn’t ask Ned to bring the Mandalorian game...”

She shakes her head, “Dork.”

“Maybe he and Betty wanted to finish what they started.”

“You mean start dating again?” She asked taking a bite of her bagel. 

Peter laughed, “Funny.”

“Not kidding,” she said taking another. She swallowed and said, “Babe, it’s gonna happen, a matter of time.”

“Why do you get to call me ‘babe’?” 

“Because you’re shirtless in my kitchen and that’s hot,” she answered taking her plate to the dining table. “And you’re shirtless telling me you invited people here on the only full day off you get with me.”

“I’m an idiot,” he sighed. 

“What time are they coming?”

“At two,” he answers.

“Then we have time,” she says sitting to finish her bagel. 

He washed his dishes until MJ comes up from behind and hugs him. He turns around in place to kiss her. He presses her against the kitchen island. When she grabs the bottom of his hair, he wraps her legs around him and brings her to the couch. He brings her down with him, their lips parting only briefly as he lays her down. She tightens her grip and hold on him, which he uses to lay them both down on the couch, his hands exploring the skin under her shirt. 

When her hips push into his, he bites her bottom lip and smoothes his thumb down her stomach and her skin is so soft. They tangle in each other, smoothing skin, digging in hair and pressing against each other until the dryer ding snaps them out of their hypnosis in each other. 

He looks down at her face, feeling charged and flushed all at once. “Woah, you okay?”

She nods and breathes out, “yeah, that was new.” She moves to sit up, leaning her back against the couch. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he says, “that was, how did you feel?”

“On fire,” she says, “I’ve been scared to…”

“Scared?”

“Of wanting to feel that,” she answered looking at his waist, swallowing it, “and all that would mean.”

“Oh,” he sighs. 

They sit there, unsure of looking at each other. When she doesn’t say anything, he gets up to get his clothes from the dryer. He then goes to get dressed in her room and comes out to find her reading a book and drinking tea. “Got chilly there, Parker?”

“Something like that,” he answers as he passes her at the table on the way to the couch. 

“Next time,” she says after he’s settled on the couch, “we should do that on a bed.”

“Next time?” he asks sitting up to look at her. 

“Yeah,” she says without looking up, “next time, loser.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope the small makeout scene works! Currently going through the chapters and revising this one, let me know what you like and what to improve upon. Writing MJ on so little reveals a lot more after the fact that in the writing process. :)   
> Looking forward to hearing from you :)


	5. Everything I need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I know Stark Industries has been talking about how to repurpose dated technology like their tablets, phones and other equipment,” Ned says. They had a meeting about just the other day, especially since the blip didn’t really affect Black Friday. I know Misses Stark is working on a marketing campaign about where to donate replaceable technology. They said if I stay in New York for college, I can work on that campaign…”  
> MJ watches as Ned’s eyes go wide and dart from side to side.  
> “Cool,” is all Peter says and MJ watches Betty’s face go beat red.  
> “Yeah,” MJ says, “I’ll probably stay around here, too,” she then adds, “or Boston--no intention of going out west for college,” she says in her most aloof, indifferent voice possible. Taking one for the team of awkward.  
> “Me either,” Peter says, “I got everything I need here,” he adds meeting MJ’s eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Writing this has been really as I love Peter and this MJ. Really working on exploring how hard it is to enjoy life for them after all they've seen and experienced. And not just them, of course, which is why Ned and Betty are important. 
> 
> *Sony and Marvel comics own the characters

The days after their intense makeout session go by quickly, as do most days in November in the slew of all the holidays and days off to come. She talks about it with her counselor, the heavy petting and arousals, not the Spider-Man flashbacks, which leads to a sex talk that she has to explain that she’s had. She tries her best to shift the gears into the whole sex post-emotional intensity of the blip instead of the whole teenage sex fear most grown ups have. While the counselor’s not ready for it, being able to persist relieves her into thinking that she’ll be okay. She wants to wait till it’s not as emotionally messy as it would have been that morning. And she knows she wants him to keep petting her and, other things. 

She feels she’s got a pretty good handle on the whole thing by the time the post Turkey day Friday dinner at May’s comes around. Ned and Betty who are hand holding without labels are coming and it’s a nice she’s cleared to not have to be home. Peter lets her know they’ll probably arrive before him, as he was going to use that Friday to get some swinging in, especially for those trying to get holiday gifts on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. MJ arrives earlier than most, wanting to help May set up snacks and choose which pizza to order. 

As MJ walked in, she hung up her book bag and coat on the rack right inside the front door, greeted by a hug and a “how are you?”

“Doing well, May, thanks, how are you?”

“Work, worrying about Peter, you know,” she said shrugging on their way to the kitchen. 

“Yeah,” MJ said shrugging, “glad I don’t have to do it alone.”

“I know,” she says as she pulls out the popcorn bowls, “I mean thinking about college and what you’ll do then must be hard…”

“We really don’t talk about the future,” she admits putting a few cans of soda into the fridge, “but it’s between Boston and New York for both of us, so I’m not really worried. Between Spider-Manning, and me probably having to work, we won’t have time to think about anyone else--and I think we’ll be fine.”

“Oh,” May says pausing by the cabinet doors where she had menus. She still believed in phone orders despite the internet. 

“I mean I can’t imagine not being with Peter. I love the nerd,” she deadpans, “but I don’t know how to talk to him about it. We haven’t really told each other...you know.”

“I know he’s nervous about it too, I just thought,” May says putting a bag of popcorn in the microwave. “I thought he’d at least tell you when he went over to eat with your parents. That’s when he was thinking about telling you, at least when he told me...”

MJ shakes her head and clears her throat, ”Uh, thanks, and I don’t know if he’ll ask you if you know if I--

“Oh, no!” May says, “I didn’t mean--

“At least it takes some of the pressure off me,” MJ chuckles with a shrug. 

“He’s so nervous, poor thing,” May begins to ramble. She’s giving all her nephew’s secrets away both warming MJ’s heart and making her nervous. So he more than liked her and was thinking about her in his post-high school plans and trying to figure out how to tell her and when to tell her even though he didn’t. “You two remind me of...you really do such a good job of taking care of each other.”

“Thank you, May,” MJ says offering a smile. The intel is bittersweet and she doesn’t know if May spoiled it for her yet. On the one hand, her saying it won’t be so hard because he feels the same way. On the other hand, knowing he feels the same way makes her wonder when he’ll get the guts to tell her. 

Ned arrives as tMJ and May begin setting the snacks onto the table. He offers to help but MJ says, “we’ve done most of it, loser, go upstairs because I’m pretty sure Parker’s gonna wanna tell you how his swing went before Betty gets here.”

“Good idea,” Ned says smiling, “I’ll make sure we clean up and, you know, do our fair part, May.”

May says, with a smile, “Thanks, Sweetie.”

MJ and May talk about Peter’s relatively sound sleeping schedule since the last night MJ was there. MJ doesn’t talk about Peter’s dream the night she was there, leaving that to Peter. The conversation, as MJ heats water and May takes out mugs, ends up being about life post-blip and what it means to know details that not everyone knows. Before Betty was a staple, Ned would be there, too, sharing insights about what he had begun to learn as a Stark intern. Without many civilian FoS, they were the only ones who understood each other. 

***

Peter returns home through his room to find Ned examining their latest Lego creation. “Dude,” Ned said as Peter dropped his backpack and then took off his mask. 

“Hey man,” Peter said as they did their handshake, “a fairly easy afternoon, stopped a couple pickpockets and helped someone bring their bags home.”

“Sweet,” Ned said, “May and MJ are downstairs, they put out most of the snacks.”

“Oh, good,” Peter said going to close his door, “I need your help.”

“With?”

“ I’m in love with MJ,” Peter said, “and I dunno how to tell ‘er.”

“MJ,” Ned says grabbing Peter’s hand, “I think I’m in love with you--

“No,” Peter insisted, “it has to be right, like, special because it’s a big deal and MJ deserves, you know, something nice. I mean May said to keep it simple because MJ’s not a fancy person--

“Think about London,” Ned says, “and how that went?”

“You mean fake monsters, almost being blown up and attacked and kissing each other when we realized none of us was gonna die.”

“Good point,” Ned says and then adds drumming Peter’s desk, “plans don’t really work Parker. I mean, look at Betty and me--turbulence brought us together the first time but we didn’t last. Now, we’re taking our time and we’ll get there eventually. And,” Ned says turning to face t-shirt and jeans clad Peter, “the fanciest you could get is the winter formal, dude, that’s when I was thinking of, you know, asking Betty out again--I mean we’re going together but you know…”

“I know,” Peter said throwing on a hoodie. 

“Boys,” May calls out, “I’mna pick some up Thai for me but the pizza’s on the way.”

“Thanks, May!” they both shout out in unison. 

*** 

MJ’s on her second pot of tea when May leaves and is finished with her first mug when Betty rings the bell. She leaves the boys upstairs, aware that Peter needs the bro time. 

Betty arrives with additional drinks and used the opportunity, because the guys were upstairs to corner MJ about her feelings. MJ was taken aback, MJ taking the opportunity to leave the girls alone and follow up on a call from one of her girlfriends. “So Ned asked me to the Winter Formal,” Betty says, “and I said yes.”

“Finally,” MJ deadpans, “you two are getting somewhere.”

“Well,” Betty said, “just because we’re going doesn’t mean we’re more than friends.”

“Uh-huh,” MJ says rolling her eyes and grabbing the drinks from Betty’s hands. 

“I haven’t really decided,” Betty says taking a seat on the couch, “I mean we’re juniors and I know Ned’s committed to staying in New York or going to Boston.” 

“You two balance each other out,” MJ observes, “y’all moved too quickly in the summer but I think school year and all those college worries would slow you down.” 

“Ned’s really sweet,” Betty admits more to herself than to MJ, “and he takes really good care of me…”

“But,” MJ says when Betty pauses looking out into empty air.

“It’s hard to rationalize staying with him through college,” she says turning her head to the stairs, making sure no one is listening (the boys are looking through new Lego models and debating which ones to gift themselves with their Stark Christmas bonus so they are not trying to overhear their girlfriends downstairs). “I don’t know who I’ll be then…and I have a sneaking suspicion Ned will have a job at Stark by the time he’s done with school.”

“Eh,” MJ says with a shrug, “probably. Those two boys will never stop working together and Peter loves gadget building with Stark--

“They have him build things,” Betty gasps, “as a high school student.”

MJ realizes she’s said more than she should have, and knows Betty will ever know Peter is Spider-Man if she marries Ned, so she clears her throat, “he’s a physics wiz, and likes to take things apart like all the time. He brought a Stark tablet prototype home once, and asked me how to protect the tablet from Stark Industries surveillance satellite network--

“That’s amazing,” Betty said, “I didn’t even realize they trusted him with that kind of stuff…”

“You know,” MJ said, “he’s been a loyal intern for a couple years now so...and I’m only telling you because, you know, you’re part of our squad.”

“The secret’s safe with me,” Betty said, “to be the first in the news it’s important to sustain the trust of the people--I mean we don’t wanna be like the Bugle or Breitbart--

“Exactly,” MJ deadpans, trying to not release a sigh of relief, “but back to you and Ned, people change every day. That’s what love does to you. Can’t be helped.” 

“Love, MJ?” Betty asks, “You love Peter?!” she clarifies with a squeal. 

“Yeah,” she says, “and apparently he loves me too but hasn’t told me yet because he’s looking for the right time--

“How do you know?” Betty asks leaning forward holding her head up with her fists. 

_ This girl talk thing is weird and fun, and I hope no one tells anyone that I need it right now.  _

“May told me as we were,” MJ says, swallowing hard, “getting the snacks ready.”

“Oh, MJ!!”

“You gotta be cool about it, Brant,” MJ warns.

“No one really looks at how you look at him when he walks into a room except me and Ned, and we don’t make a point to talk about it at decathlon practice or with anyone else really. You’re really good at covering it up and it helps that you two barely look at each other in class or ...”

“Yeah,” MJ says, “it’s hard, not having the same lunch period kinda sucks, but sitting next to each other in silence in study hall and, you know, walking to the subway together, weekends are our time and,” she adds with a sigh, “it’s nice.”

“Yeah,” Betty says, “Ned and I don’t always have lunch with Peter, he sometimes sticks to the physics or electronics lab. Ned says it’s because he’s testing out these new theories on movement and electricity ever since you know, vibranium’s existence has become more widespread.”

MJ nods, pursing her lips, “he likes to build things, hopefully, useful environmentally sound tech that respects miners’ workers’ rights and, you know, other life…” she sighed because she knows he’s probably helping build weapons and she doesn’t like it, but she doesn’t ask questions she doesn’t want to know the answer to and he doesn’t offer information that he knows she doesn’t want to hear. 

“Yeah,” Betty said, “the more I read about water struggles, and how to not undo the recovery of endangered animals who benefited from the blip, I just sit here perplexed over how much of our lives need to change…”

“Which is why change isn’t a good reason to not be with someone you want,” MJ admits, “it’s worth the risk.”

“What’s worth the risk?” Peter asks sliding down the banister.

“Working to maintain the lives of endangered species who benefited from the blip,” Betty says, “we’ve been talking about a Sierra Club report I had read on the way here.”

“I know Stark Industries has been talking about how to repurpose dated technology like their tablets, phones and other equipment,” Ned says. “They had a meeting about just the other day, especially since the blip didn’t really affect Black Friday. I know Misses Stark is working on a marketing campaign about where to donate replaceable technology. They said if I stay in New York for college, I can work on that campaign…”

MJ watches as Ned’s eyes go wide and dart from side to side. 

“Cool,” is all Peter says and MJ watches Betty’s face go beat red. 

“Yeah,” MJ says, “I’ll probably stay around here, too,” she then adds, “or Boston--no intention of going out west for college,” she says in her most aloof, indifferent voice possible. Taking one for the team of awkward. 

“Me either,” Peter says, “I got everything I need here,” he adds meeting MJ’s eyes. 

She swallows hard before taking a sip of her tea. She turns on the tv, pulls up a movie streaming site and starts playing the first season of  _ His Dark Materials  _ in the background as Peter pulls out Uno Flip. 

They’re two rounds in when the pizza arrives. Peter and Ned grab them from the door, Ned leaving an additional tip, and they set the boxes on the kitchen counter next to the plates May left out for them. 

“Where’s Misses Parker,” Betty asks as they begin another round.

“Out for Thai,” Ned says ordering his cards. 

“Betty,” MJ explains, “that’s code,” MJ says, “loser here still struggles with the fact that his aunt is dating so every time she goes out, she’s going for Thai.”

“Em!” Peter whines as she flips the top card of the deck to start the game. 

“Oh,” Ned interjects, “it’s true. He’s all about carpe diem and enjoying the present, but his aunt dating is still freaking him out.”

“You, too, Ned?” Peter almost whimpers. “Can’t catch a break.”

“That’s great she’s working to start a new chapter,” Betty says, “I just wish Mister Harrington would, I get very sentimental around the holiday season and people finding someone they can share it with and he…”

“He’s too invested in us,” MJ says finishing Betty’s thoughts unfiltered, “I mean we’re awesome but he’s gotta get a life.”

“At least he stopped talking about his ex-wife during decathlon practice,” Ned offers as he sets down a green card. “It’s hard to see him in so much pain.”

“Yeah,” MJ says as she starts picking from the deck. “The blip being used to leave him is...well, gross, hope he’s in therapy--and I’m not being a smart ass about it,” she says grabbing cards for the play. 

“It took you that long to get a card to play, Em?” Peter asks.

“Yeah,” she says glaring at him, “we need a better shuffler, Parker.”

“I’ll do it next round,” Betty says, “I’ve been practicing.”

After Ned wins that round, they start in on the pizza and switch out  _ His Dark Materials  _ with episodes of  _ SuperStore.  _ MJ doesn’t know how to sit next to Peter after the way he looked at her about saying he had what was needed. She’s all gooey, which she doesn’t like showing up un which apparently he doesn’t object to because he sits on the armchair opposite her. 

By the second episode, she realizes they’ve set up Ned and Betty to sit next to each other. And into rewatching the second season, the couple is cuddling and Peter’s brought the remaining pizza box to the table the coffee table. 

After a couple more episodes, MJ gets up to turn on the electric kettle, Peter follows her into the kitchen. She pulls out the loose-leaf herbal tea she tends to start drinking when she’s sleepy and as she does, he reaches for another tea ball from the set he’d gotten for her before the third time she stayed over. “Thanks,” she says as he hands it to her, “Dumbo.” She adds pulling on his ear. 

“Hey, Em?” he asks leaning against the sink. 

“Yeah,” she says scooping looseleaf into the ball. 

“Wanna go to winter formal? I’m sorry for asking so late, I just…”

“Sure,” she says smoothing a hand against his face, “I didn’t think you’d want to go to a dance, Parker,” she offers in a whisper as she pulls out the thermometer in the drawer under the kettle.

“I do,” he whispers inching closer to her, “if you do.”

Looking back to see Betty finally laying her head on Ned’s head, MJ says, “I thought that maybe because of the other--

He shakes his head very fast, all puppy eyes as soon as MJ’s eyes meet his again. “I think it’d be nice to dress up for you,” he says bridging his eyebrows, soft pleading eyes still working in full effect.

She shakes her head taking the thermometer out of the kettle water, “Like what you wore in Prague, but with a tie?”

“I could do a tie,” he said, “and I’d pick you up at your house and you can wear whatever you want…”

She gives him a corner lip smile as she checks the water temp again. “I dunno what I’ma do with you, Parker.”

He inches closer to her and says, “I can think of a few things,” Sliding a finger under her chin, he turns her lips to his, taking in their softness for a beat. She takes his elbow into her hand, holding him in the kiss a little longer than intended. He, in response, sets a hand on her hip, sneaking a finger just under her shirt. 

“Only for you, Parker,” she says as they break away, “only for you.”

They make their way back to the living room to find Betty sleeping on Ned’s shoulder. “You can take her upstairs,” Peter whispers, “ladies upstairs and we’ll sleep down here.”

“Sounds good,” Ned says getting up and bringing Betty with him. 

Peter and MJ stay downstairs, moving the coffee table and to pull the sofa bed out of the sofa. “Can I stay down here till I fall asleep?

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Peter whispers as he hears Ned’s steps move down the hall.

“Good,” MJ whispers as she lays down the blanket she grabbed from the downstairs closet. “I’m gonna set up the Star Wars game.”

She turns her head from the screen when Ned comes back down to join them. “C’mon, Leeds!” she hisses. 

“Parker?”

“I’ll be right there,” he says sweeping the kitchen floor. 

“I told May I would clean,” he tells his friend. 

“Leeds!” MJ hisses again, “let’s play!!”

“Don’t keep her waiting,” Peter tells his friend. 

“You don’t either,” Ned says. 

When he sits next to MJ, she decides not to ask Ned what he means, though she has a pretty good idea. They go a couple of rounds, Ned mostly explaining to MJ how to go past certain levels. Peter joins them when he’s done in the kitchen. “Which bunk did she take?” MJ asks as she loses her second to last life. 

“Top one,” Ned says, “so you don’t wake her up when you go up.”

“Good thinking,” MJ says handing the controller to Peter.

She watches them go a few more rounds before tossling Peter’s hair and going up to bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone's interested in beta-ing this, please let me know. Doing my best to keep writing and give you teh good stuff. :) Let me know what you think and thanks again for reading.


	6. Preparing for the Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So there’s a winter formal in a couple weeks,” she begins as she slices her bagel.   
> “And you need a new dress because you have a date.”   
> She looks up at her mom and nods. They’re doing better than they were before the blip but not enough to not worry about fancy things. “The money I do have isn’t enough for a dress, shoes and probably needed alterations.”  
> “Alterations?”  
> “Yeah,” MJ says, “I want to be a little...visible...you know, take pride in how I look.”  
> “Let me look at my accounts and get back to you, I wish I’d have known sooner so I could plan on going with you.”  
> The offers widens MJ’s eyes as they don’t do these things. She figures it’s her mom trying and offers her a, “I’ll probably need help fixing it and doing my hair to bring attention to this amazingly long neck of mine, but--  
> “So you’re going to be aiming for a strapless or--  
> “Yeah,” MJ says, “strapless black that doesn’t need a real heel because, you know, Parker’s,” she says setting her hand to her eyebrow, “and I wanna be as comfortable as possible.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternating between Peter and MJ is hard, working through finding MJ based on the little we know. This chapter alternates POV without MJ needing to talk about Peter and with Peter talking about MJ at Stark Industries.   
>  I DO NOT own the characters.   
>  Thank you so much for reading and following.

MJ still struggles asking her parents for things. She’s got a job, that helps her buy art things, but she needs a dress. She’s going to wear a dress. A dress that accentuates the parts of her she likes. She’s not getting dressed up for a boy. She didn’t in Europe; she’s not doing it now. But she wants a dress she can look back on and say, I made sure I took pride in myself. And that means asking for help. 

The Tuesday after Peter asked her to the Winter Formal, she uses the morning to mention it to her mother. “So there’s a winter formal in a couple weeks,” she begins as she slices her bagel. 

“And you need a new dress because you have a date.” 

She looks up at her mom and nods. They’re doing better than they were before the blip but not enough to not worry about fancy things. “The money I do have isn’t enough for a dress, shoes and probably needed alterations.”

“Alterations?”

“Yeah,” MJ says, “I want to be a little... _ visible _ ...you know, take pride in how I look.”

“Let me look at my accounts and get back to you, I wish I’d have known sooner so I could plan on going with you.”

The offers widens MJ’s eyes as they don’t do these things. She figures it’s her mom trying and offers her a, “I’ll probably need help fixing it and doing my hair to bring attention to this amazingly long neck of mine, but--

“So you’re going to be aiming for a strapless or--

“Yeah,” MJ says, “strapless black that doesn’t need a real heel because, you know, Parker’s,” she says setting her hand to her eyebrow, “and I wanna be as comfortable as possible.”

“I  _ do  _ wanna pick out a prom dress for you,” her mom offers, “you know, and we can start looking after my Christmas bonus.”

MJ’s eyes widen again and she swallows hard. She wasn’t thinking that far and her mom’s getting a little excited about these femme acts. As much as she loves it, she’s also having out of body experiences around it. She has to think about what it means to navigate all she’s feeling about the past year, letting her walls down, contemplating the future, working a job multiple days a week, maintaining the parts of the person she was pre-blip. 

By the end of the school day, on her way to work, she gets a notification that her mother forwarded fifty dollars to her checking account. She tries to contain her excitement as she walks towards the front doors of the school and heads in to work. 

The shift is busy as people use the cafe’s internet to take advantage of cyber monday deals. They order coffees and hot cocoas and a couple sandwiches as they open their phones or their laptops to browse what to buy. She doesn’t really get breaks to sketch like she usually does, but the tips are good and, as she’s headed home, she contemplates who take shopping with her because she’s not good at picking out dresses. 

Betty’s class privilege makes it awkward. They share books, ideas, and politics, but not much else, and she doesn’t want to make it weird that she’d rather go peruse consignment stores and thrift stores for her winter formal dress when Betty’s undoubtedly going to get something from Macy’s or Nordstrom’s. 

As she walks to the train, she decides to send May a text, which she sends as soon as she gets to the platform and can uncover her fingers to type the words on the phone. 

In response, May texts, “ _ I’d be honored, sweetie, how does Thursday work?” _

She types, “I’m not working, so perfect. I can meet you on… _ ”  _ she considers where to meet May because she’s not really someone who looks at things. She decides not to name a place because, well, she doesn’t know what place she would name. 

May then texts back, “ _ Meet me at work and then we can figure it out from there.”  _

“Great, thanks,” she types as her train comes zooming in. 

As she takes a seat next to an older black man no one else appeared to want to sit next to, she offers a grin to him and puts in her headphones to listen to  _ NPR Code Switch.  _ She then sends a quick text to her mom, “Heading Home.” She catches herself from falling asleep 2 stops before home and makes her way to her family’s building, grateful the people around her help her celebrate who she is. 

When she goes with May on Thursday, it’s a little awkward because she’s all too excited and happy in ways that, after practically five months, she’d swear it’d be expected she get used to. Then again, they have an unconventional relationship, that this venture will branch out from the obvious. She’s seeking her support and advice as a woman trying to make herself look good. 

She has the food fortune of having the lines and figures most dresses are designed for. She remembers her mom being grateful for that, as it made shopping in gently used and affordable retail stores that much easier. MJ’s mom, Sondra, had a harder time. The money she saved with MJ allowed her to be able to afford to make the changes she needed to be able to look decent in her own clothes. 

MJ took up sewing when times got really tight after the first inter-galactic attack against New York so she could adjust home clothes to fit her. She’d never wear those clothes to school but old jeans made great canvases, t-shirts were good rags and the few silk and satiny blouses her mom had been great head wraps. Once in high school, she did end up taking a class, depriving her of study hall, in order to master it in a way that would help her feel less poor. 

The community art center’s sewing room, she already decided, would be the place she’d put the finishing touches on whichever dress she picked. After a handful of stores and a dozen dresses, MJ picked decided on a black velvet one that just capped her knees and could easily be adjusted into a strapless with a matching bag. “Aren’t the sleeves too big,” May asked as she pulled it to the front counter. 

“I’ll cut them off and make a matching handbag."--

“A long coat would be useful, especially as it is getting colder.”

“Oh,” MJ said, “I was so busy thinking about the dress I forgot about the weather. I know I’m wearing flats, my mom wants to help me get those this weekend, once I get those I’ll look into the coat.”

“Good plan,” May says as they reach the cashier. 

When they pay for the dress, which was already being marked down, MJ realizes she should have enough to get a long, most likely wool coat, to go over it. As they walk out, she tells May, “there’s an army surplus by work, I can definitely check out the coats there after my shift tomorrow.”

“Oh, good!” May says, “what’s your color scheme?”

“Black,” MJ says, “simple and elegant, not really a color person, as you know.”

“That’s true,” May says as they head back to the building where May works, “can’t go wrong with that. Work with whatcha got.”

“Exactly,” MJ says and then offers a smile, “Thank you for coming with me. I’m not really good at these things.”

“Of course! It was fun and it can be hard to share the flare for a good eye for vintage with people who don’t have that same eye,” she says with a wink. “It really means a lot that you asked.”

MJ nods, feeling like this is going to be one of those big hug moments when they part at the lobby doors. And she’s right because May gives her a big hug oozing with feelings and warmth and MJ promises herself she’s not going to get teary about the meaning of asking May to help her buy a dress. 

At home, she sits with her sketch pad, and the dress laid out on her bed, thinking through the best way to alter the dress in line with the pre-existing stitching and cut pattern. She leaves her door open a few inches, in case her mom wants to see what she’s doing. Her mom isn’t trying too hard and doesn’t go to extremes to show she’s trying, which MJ appreciates. “I’m home,” she hears mom call out, “I brought a couple of sides from the deli!”

“I’m hungry,” MJ calls out right back, “but busy.”

Her mom does peak in, without entering completely. “That’s a great dress, MJ!” 

“Thanks,” MJ says studying the velvet open skirt puffy sleeve dress on her bed, “I’m trying to figure out what alterations will keep the integrity of the fabric.”

“Can I see?” Sondra asks. 

MJ nods and offers her the sketch pad. 

“I have a few drawings,” MJ says flipping back to the first two, “but I have to look at the stitching book I have at school to make sure that whatever proposed changes I make are clean and execute a successful dress.”

“I thought you’d go for a little black dress,” Sondra says looking at the sketches, “the skirt’s not you.”

“I know,” MJ admits, “I wanted to be fun, more femme than usual. It’s a fuller knee-length skirt than the homecoming dress and I know I won’t wear anything shirt under it,” she continues to explain her bare minimum requirements to her mom. And, in the process, they study the dress together, reflecting on technique and design.

It’s the kind of conversation she never expected having pre blip, invested in being invisible and avoiding public ventures like dances and dating. They move on to the kind of black ballet shoe she’d need and how to work around bad weather without losing a sense of style. As MJ explains her plans for her sleeves, Her mother offers a blouse that just developed a hole as the inner lining, which MJ appreciates. 

Their conversation stops when MJ’s stomach rumbling interrupts and they both head to the kitchen and eat. 

***

In the midst of designing a suit-building incubator for the avenger’s new plane, Peter’s interrupted by Pepper and Morgan coming by to say hello. “Hello, Misses Stark,” Peter says looking up from the cylinder. 

“Playing Led Zeppelin, I hear,” Pepper says as Morgan jumps into Peter’s lap.

Peter nods with a smile as Morgan looks inside the massive cylinder. “I adjusted some of the needle layouts that Mister Stark had in earlier versions and I added Vibranium lined thread as it could be useful for both shield repair and armor building.”

“Great idea, Peter,” Pepper says, “I’m really hoping you consider MIT because what they’re letting students do with Tony’s innovator’s endowment is phenomenal and you could learn a lot there.”

“But I feel like local school’s Wakandan study abroad programs could be especially useful if I stick to designing intergalactic armor and weaponry, MIsses Stark.”

She narrows her eyes at him and says, “Boston has several great art programs, and if there was one in particular, all you’d have to do is let me know…”

“Huh--what?”

“Happy told us about the dance you were going to, Petey,” Morgan blurts out when she realizes neither of them is paying attention to her. “And mommy wants to know if you need a tie--

“Oh,” Peter says looking down at Morgan, “that’s so nice of your mom. Did you have a tie in mind?”

She nods and pulls something out of her pocket, “a few actually, but they’re down the hall and mommy wants  _ you  _ to pick. That’s the key”

“Will you come with me?” he says standing up and keeping her in his arms. 

She nods. “The key’s in there.”

They walk down the hall to the executive corridor and Morgan grabs onto the door handle as Peter opens the box with the key. “Helping you step up your game, T.S,” the note inside reads. 

He walks into the closet and finds it lined with clothes, and does his best not to cry, though the tears arrive. “Thanks, Misses Stark.”

“Don’t mention it,” she says, “he probably figured if you have to find who replaces him…”

“I’d have to look the part--

“Am I gonna see MJ all dressed up?” Morgan asks switching her head between the two. 

“I’ll make sure we stop by and say hi, Morgan,” Peter says bending down to meet her eye to eye. “You wanna show me the tie you picked out?”

After he swings home that night, he and May catch up on their respective days over Chinese takeout. After talking about work stuff and her shifts over the holiday season and the homework he’ll probably get over the break, they move on to their after school conversations. “I hope it’s okay that Misses Stark wants to help me with the formal, I mean, I know that's...

“That’s okay,” May said in between bites, “I helped MJ pick out her dress today.”

He almost chokes on his egg roll. “Wait--what?”

May’s eyes can’t take her excitement even though she tries to keep it from her voice when she explains, “Yeah, she text me on Monday and I had a long break at work today so we just went to consignment and vintage stores on the lower Eastside and tried on a few dresses. She’s gonna make some adjustments, she was telling me, and picking out shoes with Sondra on Saturday, but it looks very sweet.”

“You went shopping with MJ?”

May nods, “She was so nervous, the first few times she walked out of a fitting room. She even entertained me and tried on some of the dresses I liked.”

“You helped her pick out dresses?!” Peter gasped, “like did you offer or--

“Oh, no, she  _ definitely  _ asked me,” May says beaming from ear to ear. “I think it was very sweet for her to share that with me. Especially glad because I only got to teach you how to tie a tie and dance…”

“Aww, May,” he said pursing his lips. 

“And I’m okay with Pepper and Morgan helping you,” May added meeting her nephew’s eyes, “save not being a billionaire, I think Pepper sees a lot of Tony in you.”

Peter gets watery-eyed again and he swallows to keep himself from fully crying as he whispers, “Thanks, May.”

“We’ve come a long way in a year, kiddo,” she says reaching out to place a hand on his, “I’m okay with people helping take care of you.”

He squeezes her hand and lets the corner of his lips raise to a grin. “You’re the best, May.”

“I love you, too, Pete.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are amazing numbers for me, and it helps me keep writing, which relieves a lot of end of term stress. I am considering adding either an epilogue or more chapters to really do what I wanna do for Christmas and I am contemplating MJ and Morgan interactions that are realistic because she's about 4-5 at this point. I have nephews around that age, the older one being fairly insightful and the younger one, now 4, being very sarcastic. 
> 
> I appreciate the comments and the feedback. <3 Thanks again!!


	7. Squeezing hands and getting softer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ”Hiya, May,” he said looking up from his laptop.  
> Heyya, kiddo,” she said hanging up her coat and unwrapping her scarf. “What’s up?”  
> “I’m scared to tell MJ I’m in love with ‘er,” he confesses, ‘’afraid of getting that much closer to her because…”  
> “Because you’re afraid of having someone else you could lose,” she said as she grabbed leftovers from the fridge.  
> “Yeah,” he breathed.

The following morning, she arrives surprisingly early to school. She grabs the book she needs out of her locker and the hope that Peter’s arrived early for lab work. She finds him in the electrical engineering lab, examining a smartboard he was assembling. With her knock on the doorway, he looks around the empty classroom and says, “Miss Reyes is on a coffee break, so…”

“Morning, Dumbo,” she says pulling on his ear and kissing him on the cheek.

“PDA at school, MJ?”

“You know,” she says taking up the stool next to him, “I’m a little soft today…”

“Yeah,” he says releasing his tools, “May told me about your shopping afternoon.”

“And my mom acted interested, too, so, you know,” MJ shrugs, “warmth and happy all around.”

“Plus it’s the Christmas season,” he offers.

“Eh,” she deadpans, “it’s the fluffy. Like my mom talking about prom dresses and May being May while helping me pick out dresses and, you know, people wanting to be close to me,” she says tilting her head and meeting his gaze. “I’m family.”

“Yeah,” he says squeezing her hand, “people, you know, love you.”

“I love people, too,” she asks. “Love all around us.”

He nods. “That’s a song!” he begins to hum it, “and in  _ Love Actually  _ they replace love with Christmas.”

MJ nods and smirks, confused as to how he could have missed the setup. 

“Good morning, Michelle,” Miss Reyes says prompting MJ to remove her hand, “didn’t expect to see you till later today.”

“I just came by,” MJ says getting up, “to talk decathlon with Parker.”

“Oh,” Miss Reyes says walking further into her classroom, “so studious you two.”

“MJ?” Peter asks confused, “was that everything?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you later, Peter,” MJ says walking backward into the other table.  _ Wow that hurt,  _ she says to herself. “Bye, Miss Reyes.”

“Oh,” Miss Reyes says as she watches MJ turn to avoid further furniture run-ins, “see you this afternoon.”

“Mmhmm,” she hums speed-walking through the door. She feels the heat rush to her face, grateful she hadn’t said anything more specific than she did, though unsure if Peter got the message. 

***

Peter watches her go, taking in a deep breath and slouching in his chair. 

“Everything okay, Peter?” she asks as she sits at her desk. 

“Perfect,” he says putting away the tools, “Just perfect.”

The school bell rings indicating the start of the school day, confused. On running into MJ in calc two periods into the day, she’s chatting up Brad and Chris, darting her eyes away from him as soon as their eyes meet. She sits somewhere near, outside of his usual eye line, and rushes out before he can call out to her. He heads to class with Miss Reyes not knowing what just happened. 

At lunch, Peter slumps his way into his bench at the cafeteria, quickly joined by Ned and Betty who quickly exchange aspects of their lunch in their slowly rekindling married couple chemistry. “Oh, Peter,” Betty says when she and Ned are done, “what happened?”

“Miss Reyes...”

“Miss Reyes?” Betty asks. 

Peter nods and sighs, laying his head on the table. 

“Uh,” Ned said, “that class is your--

“I’m doing fine the class,” Peter interrupted, “I came in early to work on something and MJ came in to say hi and we were talking about getting ready for the dance and how happy she was and I was talking about love and she was talking about love being all around us and before I could say, you know, Miss Reyes popped walks in and MJ stumbles out. Then, in calc, she sits where I can’t see her and doesn’t even smile at me and I usually get a smile and--I think, I think I messed up. 

“Oh,” Betty says nodding, “that’s really awkward.”

“Babe,” Ned says shaking his head. 

“Ned,” Betty said, squeezing his hand, “it’s true.”

“And that’s just how I told her about how people love her, you know, the hand squeeze,” Peter said, pointing to his friends’ holding hands. “And then she said she loves people, love all around us, which is when Miss Reyes walked in and I couldn’t...

“Aww, that’s very Parker of you! I love May's hand squeezes, they’re so reassuring,” Ned says.

“Does she know about the hand squeeze?” Betty asks moving her eyes from Peter to Ned. 

They both shrug. 

Betty sighs and asks, “but you love her, right? You had this whole plan, like the one Ned told me about in Europe…”

“Oh,” Ned said, “I told her cause, you know, she asked me out as we left your place after  _ His Dark Materials  _ that Saturday morning. I told her she ruined our plans for the winter formal by asking me out first.”

“I’m glad I moved faster than that,” Betty said, “or else Peter and MJ would have had their hands full with us--

“DUDE!” Peter gasped looking up at both of them. 

“ _ Dude,”  _ Ned said in response leaning back. 

Peter rubbed his face and said, “Aww, Jeez, I  _ really  _ messed up and she told me yesterday she’d be busy all weekend...” he caught himself before saying he was swinging on both Saturday and Sunday. 

“I wouldn’t worry about it, dude,” Ned says taking a drink from his water bottle. “It’s MJ.”

“That’s what you told me when I told you about my  _ first  _ plan, Ned.”

Ned shrugs, “Because you try too hard,” he answered, “I mean, it’s MJ.”

“He’s right,” Betty says, “not about not planning but you trying too hard. The Dahlia necklace worked,” Betty said, “she never takes it off even though it broke on your way to London.”

“It tangles her hair,” Ned explains, “I remember her telling me if she wears her hair down, she can’t really wear it to bed, but she keeps it on the nightstand. She gets that face she got when she was holding your hand through the airport exit terminal.”

“Babe,” Betty says touching Ned’s forearm, “I remember talking to you about how sweet she looked.”

“I know,” Ned smiles laying a hand over hers, “we were rooting for them so hard and it’s not like we could, you know, because they had to get there by themselves.”

“Like we did,” Betty says finishing the thought and rubbing her nose with Ned’s. 

“Yeah,” he breathed smiling at their renewed sense of cheesiness, “I just want it to be--

“Special?” Betty asked, “the way you stumble makes it you, Pete,” she says and then adds, “that’s what makes it special.”

“You’re a good friend, Betty,” Peter says. 

“You, too, Parker,” Betty offers with a smile. 

**

After MJ buys her shoes with her mom, she asks her mom if she could go into the studio to work on what she told her mom was the Avengers portrait for Peter. “Because of homework I’ve fallen really behind on it and today seems like the only day I’ll be able to really make a dent.”

“Yeah,” Sondra says as they walk out the mall into its parking lot, “just don’t stay too late, I know how you get when you’re fixated on a project.”

MJ considers her answer, “Yeah,” she says with a shrug, adjusting the strap on her arm, “I know. I just want to make it’s done in time.”

“I’ll drop you off there,” Sondra says as they make it to the car, “but be home by dinner.”

“Deal,” she says as she gets in her mom’s car. 

On entering the community arts center, she asks the front desk for keys to the art studio, usually closed on the weekends, and uncovers her canvas. Its dimensions look the size of the empty wall space above Peter’s desk. At least she hopes. She got the measurements from May. Drawing a multi-figure portrait’s going to be difficult but she’s been piecing media clippings and sketches over the past couple months in the hopes of being able to figure it out. She asked May for pictures of Ben and used the newspaper and Happy for pictures of Tony and the Avengers sans masks and helmets. 

Inspired by Peter’s decline in nightmares, she wanted to commemorate the family she’s deduced his built from his experiences with the Avengers. With his almost attempt at telling her he loved her, she knew it’d be appropriate to include herself too. 

Her initial plan was to have the Avengers in the background with May, Ben, Tony, and Pepper surrounding him. She hadn’t really considered herself, in part because she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to because she didn’t know if she would be presuming too much. Their conversation that day had been the closest thing they had gotten to talking about the future. It’s not like she was surprised he loved her, from a logical perspective, he wouldn’t let anyone he didn’t love to see him the way she’s seen him, snot-nosed, tormented by battles won and lost, wrestling through the meaning of surviving when so many didn’t. 

She picked up a pencil, and began sketching where the figures would stand in the portrait, not as warriors like artists started painting them weeks after they all came back, rather the way Peter talked about them when he was relaxed, nostalgic. The opposite of his nightmares, she thought to herself. With Peter and probably Morgan Stark in the middle, how would the others be around them? She asked herself trying to imagine it, how should they fan out? 

She stayed until it got dark and she could hear the honking horns on the street. She texts her mom that she was on her way home, which then led her to see a few texts from Peter. 

_ I was swinging today and you weren’t at home or at the cafe,  _ he texted.  _ How was your day? _

**Are you stalking me, Peter?**

_ Only if you want me to be ;)  _

**Remember, shoe shopping.**

_ Oh, right...did that take all day because I thought I saw your mom-- _

**So you are stalking me :-O**

_ I just wanted to finish our conversation...from Thursday  _

**I’m walking outside, otherwise, I would.**

_ I can come by and get you :)  _

**You know how I feel about swinging, Parker -_-**

_ :( _

**:-***

She stopped texting then, not wanting to say it over text first or call on a Saturday night filled with busy streets and lots of cold. She makes away past Christmas lights and shopping bags, down the stairs from Salvation Army bells and homeless trying to get dough to stay at a bed bug-free hotel to her train. She walks home quickly and texts him on walking through the door, saying,  **_I’ll see you in school, Pete. XO, sorry I didn’t have time this weekend,_ **

She goes back to the studio on Sunday, bringing her homework, alternating between completing it and filling color into the portrait. She comes home late again, sharing very few details with Peter. On getting home the second day, she tells her mom, “It’s hard surprising someone when it takes so much time.”

Sondra nods. “Peter asking about where you are?”

MJ nods plopping her bag on a dining chair. 

“You two are so sweet on each other,” Sondra says with a smile. 

“Yeah,” MJ says recalling Thursday awkward, “yeah we are.”

During decathlon practice on Tuesday, she was drilling her team with hard questions as they prepared for the regional snow competition. The hours she spent over the weekend, completing as much homework as possible, figuring out the colors she needed, and working had her back to her pre-blip aesthetic and temperament. She was layered, with a messy bun on top of her head, drinking coffee as she ran through prepped and on the spot questions she pulls from SAT prep and History AP practice tests. 

“Great job, everyone,” Mr. Harrington says right at 2:55, “spend the holiday season resting and enjoying time with loved ones. I’ll see you in the New Year!”

“Thank you, Mister Harrington,” they say in unison, with a round of “Happy Holidays!” as he walks out. 

“That was nice of him,” Brad says, “letting us out on time.”

Flash says, “someone must finally be getting--

“Thompson!” MJ yells.

“What?” Flash says lifting his hands, “he’s never left early, least of all without a monologue. Maybe he finally moved past having his students distract him from--

“From your hair gel?” Betty asks rolling her eyes and packing her bag, “Seriously.”

Brad and others laugh at the banter. 

“Penis,” Flash says turning towards him, “back me up on this one…”

“As soon as you learn to say my name, Flash,” Peter says running his fingers through his hair and throwing his book bag over his shoulder. 

“Well,” Flash says, “I hope he brings a date to the dance. If anyone’s deserving of a good time…”

“Much better,” MJ says as others start filing out of the classroom. “Have a good rest of the week and, if I don’t see you on Friday, Happy Holidays!” 

Flash offers to help her rearrange the classroom, and three sets of hands, with Peter staying, speeding up the process. As soon as Flash’s phone starts to ring, he picks it up and heads out with plans of flights and warm weather that inspire both MJ and Peter to roll their eyes. 

“I thought you had your internship today,” MJ says, throwing her bag over her shoulder.

“Double-header weekend, and holiday season so I got the week off,” he answers as they approach the door, MJ turning out the light. 

“Nice,” she says, as they head down the hallway. “You and Ned could have time to finish that Lego thing--]

“Battleship--

“You were working on.”

“He’s helping his mom at the restaurant today,” Peter says, “so I have the afternoon pretty free…I was wondering about what you had planned today.”

“I gotta go into the community center today,” she said,” but I gotta go put something from the studio into my locker before I go.”

“Okay,” he said, “I can wait. I’ll meet you by the front doors.”

She nods and goes in the opposite direction as he does. 

The velvet purse she made for her dress had needed parts she could only find on campus. She fashioned a clip from scraps in Miss Reyes's classroom. She left the purse in her locker, wanting to not show Peter what she was working on until the night of the dance. 

At the main doors, she finds him clad in a scarf, jacket, and gloves, layered to face the cold outside. “You think you got enough layers, Parker?” she asks.

“Not quite,” he said pulling a hat out of his head. 

“Hmm,” she said as they walked down the stairs to the door outside, “make sure you wear those curls I love to the dance, Peter..”

“Oh,” Peter said, “no I’m not gonna wear a hat Saturday. Morgan actually helped pick out what I’ll be wearing.”

MJ couldn’t say anything to that, “When do I get to meet the kid?”

“Well,” Peter said, “she wants to meet you before the dance. Happy actually offered to pick us up so that, you know, she could see you on the way there…and she also wants us to come visit for Christmas”

“Going in style,” she considered tilting her head, “nice. Christmas Day an obvious no, but it can be arranged otherwise.”

“Yeah,” Peter said, “I think it’s because,” he takes a deep breath, “Happy’s taking May out that night.”

“That could be, you know,” she said as they approached the crosswalk, “a good thing.”

“It is a thing,” he says with a sigh, “I mean I was bummed about it earlier, I just don’t wanna think about them together--

“Love is a good thing,” she says with a smile as they walk out the doors, “makes everything else softer.”

“Softer?” 

She nods tilting her head from side to side. “I’m trying to call you loser and dork less,” she says taking a deep breath, “because it’s good to be soft.”

She watches Peter make a funny face and ask, “What do my nicknames have to do with being soft--

Her eyes widen and she thinks of a way to create an exit, “I can’t be late to, you know, work so I’ll catch you later.”

She runs up the stairs as she hears him calling out her name fade under the sound of the training and her rushed embarrassed heartbeat. 

***

Peter stands at the edge of the stairs until the train going the other way passes and says, “Oh fuck!” 

On his way to his train, he reaches out to Ned via text. “Guy in the chair,” he says, “made it worse with MJ.”

“I got the lumpia, just know Betty’s here doing her homework.”

“Okay,” he answers, "thanks.”

As he walked into the Leed’s restaurant, he spotted Betty in the corner, sticking out like a mound of white rice surrounded by adobo chicken and pancit. She looks up as if feeling his eyes on her and waves. He pulls off his cap and joins her at her table for two, walking around the customers in line for takeout.

“Hey, Betty,” he says sitting down across from her.

“Why, hello, Peter!” She says with her newsworthy smile. 

Ned comes out with takeout bags and, after handing them to customers, walks over to Peter, “Dude, what did you say?”

“Nothing,” he answers unbuttoning his coat, “she had something in the art studio and then she was talking about love, making things soft and not calling me dork or loser anymore because she wants to be soft.”

“That’s great, Peter,” Betty said. “She was more direct this time.”

“Yeah,” Peter said, “realized that after I asked her what my nicknames had to do with her being soft--

“You didn’t!” Betty gasped. 

“Even I know what soft means,” Ned says grabbing Betty’s hand. “What are you we gonna do with this guy?” Ned asks turning to her. 

She shrugs. 

“Seriously,” Ned said, “you two spent months working on bringing us back together and you can’t even--

“How do you know?”

“Because she prides herself on being hard,” Ned says, “and I got that bit of wisdom from you.” 

“Well,” Peter says considering the information, “she’s been really weird lately. Like we didn’t see each other at all this weekend, or yesterday, and even last week, she had no free days. And I mean, I know she works, I work, but there’s time and--”

“Yeah,” Ned says turning back to Peter, “someone being busy and having a job that keeps them on call all the time because they want to be the best  _ intern  _ as possible, I’ve never heard of that one before.”

“Oh,” Betty says nodding, “couple years ago when MJ said he quit everything so he could be there when Mister Stark needed him…”

They both glared at him like scolding parents. 

“But why can’t she just say those three words?”

“Well,” Ned says, “the real question is, why can’t you?”

He sits with his friends a little longer, eating lumpia before texting May that he needed to have an important conversation. 

He’s in the middle of his lit homework when May arrives home, pink-faced as she unwraps the layers she wore in her commute.”Hiya, May,” he said looking up from his laptop. 

Heyya, kiddo,” she said hanging up her coat and unwrapping her scarf. “What’s up?” 

“MJ has all but said she loves me,” he confesses, “and I think she knows but--

“She knows,” May says, “a girl always knows. So I take it you haven’t said it?”

“No,” he breathed.

“My sweet boy,” she says smoothing her hand across his cheek. “You’ve been through so much…”

She fixes herself a plate of last night’s Italian, put in the microwave and went to sit with Peter.

“It’s why I was so reluctant to admit how I felt for Happy this summer,” May confesses as she leans against the counter waiting for her food. “It was great, you know, to have someone translate all the Avengers do and who wanted to hang around me...but I almost lost you, kiddo, and for so long that was enough--

Peter sighs as she continues.

“Think of everything you two have been through this year,” she offers, “not everyone finds what you have so young.”

“Aww, May,” he says, “I didn’t--

“When I met Ben,” May says, “I was just as nervous as you. I didn’t have aliens or superpowers or coming back from disappearing to worry about then…but it was still scary,” she then adds, “and with Happy I have all of that and a nephew with superpowers, so,” she explodes her hands from her hand.

“May!” he laughs leaning back in his chair. 

When she comes back to join him at the table, she says, “You’ve lost so much, Pete,” May says, “why wouldn’t you be scared of loving someone?”

***

MJ gets home to find her parents watching TV in silence. “I’ll just grab something to eat from the fridge and pantry,” she says as she walks behind the couch to the hallway towards her room.

She hears a knock on her door as she hangs up her clothes, “Come in.”

“Your sister’s coming to visit next week,” her dad says, “let her know if you want anything.”

“Just wanna make sure everything’s all right. I got used to you being around and was confused today.”

She shrugs, “making Peter’s Christmas present, I told mom,” she says walking past him. “Means spending time alone like I used to, I miss that, sometimes. I got so much now it feels like too much sometimes.” 

“Your mom gets like that sometimes,” he says watching her move about her room, putting a book on her desk and setting ber book bag on her desk chair, “Hard to convince someone trying to juggle the world that you love her, you know, even if you’re juggling it along with her,” he laughed.

“You were at war, Dad,” she says sitting on her bed to take off her shoes. “You did three tours. You had different struggles.”

“Yeah,” he says, “And no,” he admits, “I left her alone with my girls in the name of something, well, I still don’t understand. We had struggled before the war. And we had to juggle a lot after it. We still do,” he says holding her gaze, “and we show up. Not always in ways the other understands, but we show up and step up because it’s better than letting fear win.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah, ‘Chelle,” he said.

“I need to go do something,” she said taking a breath and reaching for her coat, “can I go?”

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” he said kissing her cheek as she rushed passed him. “Text me when you get there.”

“Love you, Dad!” she yells as she opens the door, “and Mom!” she says peaking in before going to the train. 

On the train, she sends a text, “Are you home?”

“Swinging now, M,” he responds. “But I’ll be there soon.”

“Please stop texting, I’ll see you there soon.”

May opens the door when she arrives, “Hi, May, is Peter home?”

“Hey, MJ,” May answers as MJ unzips her coat, “your parents know you’re here?”

She nods as she takes off her coat. She pulls out her phone and texts them that she got to Peter’s safely before answering May, telling her, “I asked to come before I left and I just sent them a text letting them know I was here.”

“Oh, good,” May says with a smile, “Peter’s in the kitchen. I’ll be upstairs if you need anything.”

“Oh,” Peter says unbending from his position in front of the fridge, “hi, MJ, what’s up?”

MJ takes a deep breath as she leans on the wall across the room from him and says, “I’m being a brat about telling you I love you so I felt I should tell you and stop doing that thing that I do and, you know,  _ hide _ . I should have just told you I love you when you squeezed my hand.”

Peter blinks in response, pulling leftover Chinese out of the fridge. “I love you, too, MJ,” he says shrinking the distance between them, “So much--

“I’ve known for a while now,” she admits as he wraps his hand around hers, “I was thinking about it on the way here. I’ve been thinking about telling you for months now, but I didn’t want you to think I loved Spider-Man and not you.”

“But I am Spider-Man,” he says shaking his head in slight confusion. 

She shakes her head, “ _ You  _ made Spider-Man,” she explains, “other people were given powers because they wanted to fight, others followed a legacy, some were born with something they didn’t understand. You,” she says looking down at her feet, “you took an accident and did something--

He kisses her then, sandwiching her between the doorway and him. His hands don’t travel with the hunger they did last time they found themselves alone in the kitchen, but his lips and tongue take and give what they can. She responds in kind, running her fingers through his hair as she does, wrapping one leg around him for release until he pulls apart in typical  _ someone’s coming  _ fashion. “May’s not far,” he explains looking at the door. 

He takes a step back, returns to where he left the Chinese takeout and puts the containers in the microwave. 

She chuckles, “Those superpowers come in handy,” she says tucking a few stray curls behind her ear. 

He blushes a little and asks, “You thirsty?”

“Uh,” she says recalling the classic double-meaning of the word, and then asks raising her browline, “For what, Parker? ‘Cuz,” she says scanning his figure with her eyes. 

He turns redder as MJ catches ta car turning off outside. 

They both sigh as she closes the distance between them. “I don’t want you to go,” he whispers as she smooths her hand on his back. 

“Me either, Parker,” she says giving him a small kiss on the cheek, “me either.”

  
  



	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MJ's mom helps her get ready; Morgan & MJ have girl talk on the way to the dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love MJ/Morgan dynamics, especially when it comes to sharing Peter. 
> 
> In thinking through what was missing from some of the best spideychelle fic I've read, I realized it was important to develop MJ's relationships with her parents. And it needed to be small, and they needed to provide what of MJ some of us can rarely get from the little of MJ they've given us.

As she wakes up the Saturday of the dance, she stretches and rushes to her phone and texts Peter, “see you in a few hours,” ending the message with heart eyes and pink heart emoticons.  _ He’s softened me all the way through,  _ she thinks to herself. 

After breakfast, she takes a shower and rinses out the overnight conditioning treatment she had put on before she went to bed. On walking out of the bathroom with a comb in her hair, she hears a knock on the door. “G’morning,” she says.

“It may be a good idea to get dressed outside and let the humidity escape the bathroom,” her mom tells her. 

“Okay,” MJ says wrapping a t-shirt around her hair and putting a clean t-shirt and sweatpants on. 

She sets out her clothes and shoes, tidies up her room as she waits for the hot steam to escape the bathroom. Her mother comes to get her when it’s out. 

“Where did you learn how to condition your hair?” Sondra asks as MJ unwraps her hair from the t-shirt. 

“YouTube, MoKnowsHair is the channel, I think, ” MJ answers, “I’ve been trying to move out of the ‘make up free’ is liberating. Being someone’s girlfriend changes the meaning of that, like I want to feel as beautiful for myself as someone else sees me.”

Sondra meets the reflection of MJ’s eyes in the mirror, “maybe whatever channel you were watching can help us here, too,” she suggests, “your hair isn’t even 3C…”

MJ goes to grab her laptop and her desk chair, setting the laptop on the sink, opening YouTube and the CHANNEL she watched to learn how to make a bantu knot for hairstyling guides. 

“I know I want my hair up, in a way that flatters the lines of my neck. I’m going for a ballerina look, but I could get away with a lock on each side of my face,” MJ says turning her head in the mirror. 

“Good call,” Sondra says, “I’ve never been tiny enough to rock a strapless with ease, my girls are too big.”

They share a chuckle, “Yeah, I know Marie started telling me how hard it was to share clothes with me. She got the curves and I got the height.”

Once they find a  _ YouTube  _ video that features a hairstyle MJ likes, they get to work, which takes more time than MJ cares to spend on her looks. There are hair combing and styling cream and curling irons and blow-drying and as far as she’s come with moving beyond a hair tie and whatever shape it took, the time she spends that day putting her hair together puts a lot into perspective about how much she needs to learn and, more specifically, the care her mom’s putting into it. 

She had the easiest hair texture of all the Jones’s women and, somehow that meant it needed the least amount of time. Her sister struggled with braids and weaves and even natural hair. When she came back from the blip her now older sister kept it long enough to shape but not too long to be hours of work a week. Her mom sustained a weave and some relaxing--but not the box kind, because her mom grew up on that. It was the one thing she wouldn’t be cheap with because she had to look good at work. 

MJ, though, with the easiest hair, and the most stubborn personality, didn’t want to do anything that would take time away from reading or building things. As her mom set the final curl around her face, MJ says, “Thank you.”

“This was fun,” Sondra says, “I never thought you’d get to the point you’d let me do your hair.”

“I’m trying,” MJ says, “hard to wrap my head around how feeling good about how I look is important, and I wanna try as much as I allow it to be about me.”

“And you’re workin it, ‘Chelle. Now” Sondra says as MJ gets up from the seat, “be sure to sponge bath the sweat before you get dressed and then we’ll do your makeup. I don’t need a video for that one.”

“Sure.”

“And we can do that in your room, just put on an old button-up shirt and I’ll get to it.”

“I’ll call you when I’m ready,” MJ says walking to her room. 

*** 

Peter POV 

Happy drives them to MJ’s house in a four-door sedan, which Peter appreciates. He only drives in European cars when he’s with the Stark family and employees, something he never wants to get used to. Morgan’s a ball of pink and white in her long wool coat and hat, her black boots swinging from her seat. “I should stay in the car, right Peter?”

“Yeah,” he says bending down to kiss her head, “MJ’s mom and dad don’t know I’m Spider-Man or that you’re my family, so, you know, you being with us is a secret, okay, kid.”

“Got it.

“I’ll see you soon.”

He walks up to the door and rings the doorbell. MJ’s father answers and lets him up. He does his best to walk at a normal speed, excited about finally having a dress up date with MJ. They watch movies, eat dinner with their families and friends, and it’s never really been just them two, save for when they’re sleeping or their parents aren’t home and he wanted something different. He wanted to give her more. 

He walks in and unwraps the scarf around his neck, but keeps his coat on till MJ walks down the hall into the front living and dining areas. She’s wearing flats, and he didn’t expect anything else, but he’s never seen her legs bare to her knees, crowned by a black velvet swaying leading up to her waist where the dress thinned into a strapless top leaving her shoulders and arms exposed and her neck, wow her neck went on for days and her lips were redder, her eyes were shinier and Peter was forgetting how to think.

“Lemme take a picture,” Sondra says, “I know May will want one. Peter, you can take off your coat for a second.”

“Sure Misses Jones,” he said blinking into reality and slipping it off. 

MJ knew Parker would clean up nicely but the Stark touch slightly exceed her expectations. His lines were neat and clean and undoubtedly they’d be the two best dressed at the dance, and she had to keep her cool as he approached her, put his hand on her waist as they posed for the photo. Misses Jones took three, helped MJ into her coat, and reminded her she needed to text when she was home from the dance before she let them couple leave. 

“It’s a good thing Morgan’s with us because I don’t know that I could keep my hands off you looking this good.”

“I wish she wasn’t,” he whispers in her ear before he opens the door for her.

“Hi, MJ,” she says walking out before MJ can get in. Morgan hugs her, getting her face buried in the folds of MJ’s skirt. 

“Oh,” MJ says patting the child on the back, “hi! I’m so excited to meet you! Peter talks about you all the time.

“You, too,” Morgan says looking up.

“I’m so glad he has to sit in the front so us girls can talk about him in the back,” MJ says, “let’s get in before we get cold.”

“Okay,” Morgan says crawling back in the car. 

MJ thought her heart couldn’t get any softer and then the girl grabs her hands immediately after MJ fastens her seat belt. She meets Peter’s eyes and shakes her head, but keeps her mouth shut wanting to make a good impression.

“Peter says you like to draw,” Morgan says.

“I do,” MJ answers, “do you?”

Morgan looks up and thinks for a minute, “I like to build things, but Mommy says I have to be careful. I can’t run around the office like I did at the cabin.”

“I liked running around, too,” MJ says, “and sometimes I build things, not like Peter or your dad. Like I built my purse.”

MJ hands Morgan the purse. Morgan examines in, her hands and fingers feel the closing, making out the letters, “this is a P,” Morgan says

“It is,” MJ answers, “and what’s the other letter?”

Morgan furrows her brow and turns to the other clasp, “An M--P & M?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Wait,” Morgan says tracking the shape outline the letters, “that’s a heart.”

MJ finds Peter looking at them through the rearview mirror. 

“Yes,” MJ says, “I made melded pieces Peter sometimes makes to use his toys to make my purse. My teacher helped me pick the parts and she taught me how to put them together to make the pieces.”

“Wow,” Morgan says.

“I drew it first,” MJ says, “you draw things before you build them, right Peter?”

He turns and nods. Morgan does, too, “and he makes a face like this,” Morgan says furrowing her eyebrows and scrunching her shoulders. “Sometimes he lets me see them before he shows them to Mommy.”

“I  _ never  _ get to see them,” MJ says smoothing Morgan’s coat collar, “it must mean you’re really special.”

“Peter says it’s because he never gets to see your drawings.”

“Not never,” Peter corrects looking at them in the mirror. 

“Thank you for telling me,” MJ says feeling all warm and light, “I wanna be as special as you so I should share them, huh?”

Morgan nods. 

“Then I will,” MJ says sitting up as they arrive at the dance. “We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

“You should come to the cabin,” Morgan says as they approach the school, “for Christmas.”

“I’d like that,” Peter said, “we’ll see what we can do.”

“Have a good time, Petey,” Morgan says before he opens his door.

“Thank you, Mo,” Peter says winking at her as he exits the car.

“I loved meeting you, Morgan,” MJ says as she waits for Peter to grab her door, “good girl talk.”

Morgan smiles, turning a little pink and says, “Merry Christmas!” 

“Merry Christmas” MJ and Peter say as Peter reaches his hand to help MJ out the car.

They stand in place, waving the car away until it’s no longer in normative eyesight. Then, MJ turns to Peter, smooths hair behind one ear and says, “That was delightful.”

“I didn’t say never,” Peter says holding her there for a minute.

“I know,” MJ says kissing her cheek, “she’s a little jealous. It’s sweet.”

They walk arm and arm into the gym, their attire in line with their peers. Ned and Betty are already sitting at a table, exchanging food and talking animatedly. As they approach them, Peter offers to take MJ’s coat, and sets it on her chair, sitting his next to hers. “Dude,” Ned says meeting MJ’s eyes, “you clean up nice.”

“You do too, Leeds,” MJ says Peter sits next to her. “Betty you look lovely in pink.”

“Thank you,” she says, “I know it’s not a traditional Christmas color but it’s part of breaking tradition.”

“Nice,” MJ says leaning into Peter’s arms, “that’s why I glammed it up tonight she said with a twist-up of her arm and shake of her head.”

They discuss their final break plans as other students file to the dance floor. MJ watches them, leaning her head on Peter’s shoulder, taking in people’s suits, dresses, heels, and glam around her. She grabs the Black Dahlia hanging around her neck as he Peter traces the outer line of her neck. “Wanna dance?” he asks as she watches Betty and Ned take the floor. 

“Sure,” she answers lifting her head, “that’s what some people do at these things.”

“Funny,” he says as she lets him lead her there. 

There’s a slow song by the time they get to the dance floor. He’s tracing the line of her spine in a way that charges her all over, so she dances her fingers across the top of his collar, pressing herself closer to him. Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are,” starts to play and she finds herself singing the words so only he can hear. She closes her eyes and allows the smile stretching across her face to stay there as she curls her fingers around his shorter waves. 

When he hums, “Mmm,” she breaks away a little and chuckles. 

“MJ,” he whisperly whines. 

“You’re so adorable, Peter Parker,” she says with both her wrists meeting at the nape of his neck. 

He buries his face in the crook of her neck for a beat before they both go back to the table and chat up Flash’s date, who’s joined them out of spite. Other members of the decathlon team catch up with them, Betty visiting others at tables. MJ and Peter alternate between the table and the dance floor, as Peter feebly tries to keep rhythm with her. She slows her pace and groove, trying to meet fun and level ground with Peter. The more their dancing involves touching and holding each other, the less ridiculous he looks. He lets her lead in a way that makes it harder to let go for each new song, as she realizes his loyalty, and tenderness, and devotion to her. 

She finds herself walking out of her body and watching them. From the outside, she is taking in how much this boy loves her. And while she knows he’s seen more than a number of men, he brings out all the play and tenderness in all the small gestures, eye movements, in the two dozen smiles he shares with her that night, that no one else gets to see. She wants to kiss him when the thought occurs to her, there being silly dancing with Leeds and other guys from the decathlon team looking a fool, but he’s her Peter and there will be more time for that later. 

His eyes meet her as she shakes her head smiling to herself. He mouths I love you with that sense of relief he gets every time she says something sweet and she promises herself she’ll do that more because that face relieves her, too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, I needed to add another chapter because I needed more time to get to Christmas. Hopefully, the epilogue is not a reach.  
> Special thanks to mxmathematics to helping me talk through some concerns I had about MJ's sarcasm v softness. 
> 
> Posting w/o a beta, but a beta always welcome :) :)  
> Thanks again, as always for reading. :)


	9. The Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hi, MJ,” Morgan says as she lays her head on Peter’s shoulder.  
> “Hi, Morgan,” MJ responds, “Thank you for having us. I’m very excited to be here.”  
> “Me, too,” Morgan says, “I can’t wait to see what’s in the big box. Momma said that Santa dropped it off special here for Peter.”  
> “He did?” MJ asks in disbelief, “he must have known we were coming and wanted you to see it, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this knowing that they'd spend Christmas together and knowing they'd tell each other they loved each other by then. Then they got to saying they loved each other before Christmas and I still wanted the Christmas scene, so, here it is.

MJ hadn’t let Peter see her sketches because she was working on a family portrait including the Avengers, May & Leeds, and of course, her. She had found time and space to work on it at the community arts center until three days before Christmas, it was closed. The piece was big enough to fit on his wall above his desk. While she knew the closing was happening, she didn’t think she’d have to find a place to store it till then. 

She couldn’t store it at home for obvious reasons, so she had to reach out to Happy and May about the best place to put it. Luckily, Peter decided to give New York a few more rounds of swinging, so she was able to map out the when and where with Happy and May with ease. Happy picked her and the image up from the center the night it closed and he provided a case for it. They then drove to Stark Industries, in a corner of the building Peter didn’t ever visit, for safekeeping. He provides her a guest pass for the following day, to then allow her to finish the piece with minimal knowledge. 

As she walks into the well lit, dry storage area to put the finishing touches on the portrait, she sees Misses Stark leaving the room they had stored it in the day before. She’s not a complete mess like she had been during earlier stages of the pastel portrait, but she doesn’t feel dressed enough to meet one of the most important and most powerful woman in the world. “You must be Peter’s MJ,” Misses Stark says when they’re close enough.

“Thank you so much, Misses Stark,” MJ says smoothing her hair into her winter cap, “Yes, I’m MJ. Nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Misses Stark says, “and you can call me Pepper.”

“But Peter always--and I wouldn’t--

Pepper shakes her head, “I think it’s easier for Peter to call me Misses Stark because the name is filled with so much affection.”

“Oh,” MJ says putting her hands in her pockets. “Well, thank you for letting me finish the piece here. It really means a lot, I hadn’t planned my time well when it came to finishing it because, you know, I had to be discreet and save Peter, May and my faces for last.”

“Perfect sense, MJ,” Pepper says with a smile and resting her hand on MJ’s shoulder, “Happy told me about it and I wanted to see...rare is the opportunity to take in the affect our work has had on those who see it through the youngest Avenger’s eyes. And it did me good to see it; to know Peter sees home in us.”

MJ nods, “Thank you. It’s like he has a bunch of aunts and uncles I never met and a legacy he still hasn’t made sense of--

Pepper furrows her brows, eyes water a bit, “I think he’s making sense of it just fine.” 

MJ hears her swallow and finds herself clearing her throat to then say, “You really mean a lot to him.”

“He means a lot to me, too,” Pepper says with a smile. “And know that we’ll be out of town next week but you are more than welcome to come by the house. We’d love to have the both of you.”

“Thank you,” MJ says, “Thank you, Pepper.”

“Of course,” Pepper says as she walks away. 

After a minute, MJ turns her head to look at her and wonders what it’s like to know that so many got reunited with their loved ones because hers couldn’t rest till they did. 

As she adds the details of her, May’s and Peter’s faces from the pictures May sent her and the ones she has on her phone. Running into Pepper softens her as she considers how Happy told Peter Tony wouldn’t have done what he did if it didn’t mean he’d come back. She chokes up a little, and stares at Tony and Ben standing behind Peter, one with a hand on either shoulder. May’s to one side and MJ’s on the other. The tears come as she thinks of the man he’s had to become because of the losses he’s felt. 

Knowing that the man he’s becoming has chosen to love her gives her the resolve to keep going. She’s there most of the day, as Happy knocks on the door saying, “Kid, let’s go.”

“Done,” she says from the other side of the door. She takes it off the easel, wraps the framed portrait in the drop cloth she used to transport it and heads towards the door. “This is pretty heavy, can you open the door?” she asks as she nears it. 

“Sure, kid,” Happy says swiping his access card. 

She walks out to see he’s gotten a box for it, “Aww, Happy!” 

“Gotta give the gift in style, right?”

MJ nods, “Thank you so much, can you help me slide it in there?”

They keep the storage room open as they slide it in, too awkward to not have the additional maneuvering room. As he drops MJ off at her building, he says, “I gotta make a delivery upstate to the cabin, so I’ll make sure it gets there safely.”

“Thank you so much,” she says laying a hand on his arm, “this means so much to me.”

“Of course, kid,” he says laying his hand on top of hers. 

She lets it sit there for a beat before she completely leaves the car. When she does, she watches him go until the car’s out of sight. She hopes she got the right idea. Walking up the stairs, she’s bummed she can’t tell her parents about it, about how proud of it she feels, about the way running into Pepper had her feeling about the past six months. She sits with them, grateful they have the holiday off, eased with the additional time she can spend with her sister, using that as much as she can to contain the excitement of seeing Peter open his gift on the 26th. 

***

Peter and May arrive at MJ’s house after a late breakfast on the twenty-sixth. To assure that MJ could spend time with the Parkers and the Starks, May offered to ask the Jones’s if MJ could visit their family cabin until New Year’s because, well, they couldn’t necessarily say that they were staying with the Starks. May asking served two purposes 1) the cover of MJ hanging with superheroes and their family and 2) providing an opportunity for May to meet the Joneses. 

Early on, May knew they didn’t know MJ was staying over as much as she had been. MJ said they knew about the dinners, like Peter’s birthday, but nothing else. MJ was the first to open the door when Peter and MJ arrived, and she did her best to contain her excitement. 

Her father, though, wasn’t one to disappoint, “Thank you for asking us and letting us know you’d be chaperoning,” he said on shaking May’s hand, “your nephew is a fine young man and I trust he deeply respects my daughter.”

“MJ has been such a delight,” May said, “thank you for letting her spend New Year’s with us. It really means a lot to my family.”

Sondra, MJ’s mother, was surprisingly warmer. “It’s finally nice to put a name to the face,” she said offering May a hug. “The dress turned out great, didn’t it?”

“Thank you for sending me the pictures,” May said with a cheesy smile, “MJ has a real eye for beautiful things. She must’ve gotten that from you.”

MJ watched as Peter watched them make chit chat and she had a vision, or a dream, about years to come when the dress they’d be referring to would be something different and they’d be going on a trip none of their parents had to join them for. As her face warmed with the thought, Peter met her eyes like he knew what she was thinking. She looked down to the floor and off to the side in the hopes of discouraging the warmth spreading across her face. 

“MJ,” her father, James, said, “be sure to text when you get there.”

“Will do,” she said offering her parents both a hug as Peter grabbed her bag. “I love you,” she said as she unwraps from her mom. 

“Love you, ‘Chelle.”

*** 

May drives them to where Happy’s waiting for them in a bigger car. Peter takes all their bags and loads the truck of Happy’s Aviator as MJ finds her place in the passenger’s seat. Happy and May bicker a bit about who will drive as Peter loads himself next to MJ. “How would you feel if they got married, Peter?”

He shrugs, “Whatever May wants, I mean I want to know she’ll have someone, you know.”

MJ nods as she watches herself fold her hand around Peter, “it’s nice to have someone.”

“Hmm,” he says with a smile. 

“As I was watching my mom and May talk about the dress,” MJ begins, “I was thinking about…

“Me, too,” he says out loud. “Your mom was so great with May…” 

“Imagine down the line,” she says looking at their hands pressed into each other, “when--

“Oh,” May says climbing into the car, “Happy’s so stubborn in not letting me drive!” 

“I hope Peter doesn’t get like that,” MJ says, “I mean I don’t have my license yet but when I do--

“Maybe you’ll never need your license, MJ” Peter offers, “I mean you love the train.”

“Oh, honey,” May says, “please get your license. Peter _just_ barely passed his test and--

“Uh May!!”

“What?!” she says touching her chest, “it’s good to have two drivers in the house.”

Peter turns beet red at his aunt’s words, so red he covers his face. 

“Let’s not marry these two lovebirds off yet,” Happy says as he gets in the car and starts the ignition, “they’ve gotta go to college first.”

“We can be married and go to college, even though, you know, that might affect financial aid…”

“MJ!!” Peter cried shaking his head in his face. 

She cackles until he removes his hands from his face and May says, “that’s true, good thinking, MJ, I mean if you go to the same college and decide not to stay in New York, maybe you could live together and…” she talks about how she and Ben made it work, Happy offering his own insights on the benefits of off campus living and roommates. Peter, out of embarrassment, buries his head into MJ’s neck while she keeps up the conversation of planning their life together. 

As Happy and May then start veering off the topic of their ten-year plan for Peter and MJ, MJ feels her phone vibrate. When she pulls it out of her pocket, she sees a message from Peter saying, _How is planning the rest of your life with me so easy._

She types, **Because I love you.**

_We’re not even 18, MJ…_

She types: **I know.** And decides not to type out “dork” even though she seriously considers it. **I’m crazy about you, you’re crazy about me, our families have met...for the most part.**

_But still, I mean--_

**Aren’t you thinking about it???**

**…**

**It’s easy for May because, who else are you going to trust with your secret..**

_Good point._

**I’m in the other chair so who’s gonna help Leeds when you decide to Spider-Man for more time…**

_I won’t._

**Why not?**

_Because I want kids._

**Maybe Pepper will let me borrow that Iron Maiden suit…**

_Since when do you call her Pepper?!_

**“…”**

MJ smiles and shrugs instead of responding to the text. She makes a point to put her phone in her pocket to let her know she’s really not going to answer his question. She does mouth, I love you, as his face pouts in response. 

He shakes his head and leans back in his seat, smiling at May who catches his eye in the rearview mirror. 

MJ considers relaying some of their conversation to May, wanting to know how many grandkids she wants, but she figures she’s done enough Parker teasing for the moment, leans on his shoulder, releasing an, “Mmm,” as she closes her eyes to rest. 

He then rests his head on her shoulder and proceeds to draw hearts on her hands. The sound of his breathing and the feeling of his fingers against her open palm are enough to put her to sleep. 

She awakens to the sight of a setting sun over a frozen lake, May stirring Peter to wake. “Thank you, May,” MJ says on blinking her eyes open. 

“No problem, sweetie,” she says as Peter shifts in response to the loss of his pillow. “Go right on in, if we can’t wake sleepy head, then Happy will bring your bags in.”

“Is the--

“Yes,” May answers, “since yesterday.”

“Is the what?” Peter asks opening his eyes and lifting his back from his seat.

“You’re on bag duty,” MJ says lowering herself out of the car. 

“May?”

“Yup,” she says with a shrug, “I’ll see if they need help cooking,” she says leaving. 

MJ stops in front of the car, waiting till Parker’s loaded himself with half the bags. “You need a hand there, Tiger?”

“I got it,” he says, “just bulky.”

They both walk to the cabin as Happy walks back to the car for the remaining bags. MJ stuffs her hands in her pockets, worried about the potential for Peter’s reaction to the portrait yet excited about the potential for him to like it. Well, she thought to herself, Morgan will probably like it because she’s in the middle, under Peter’s hands. 

As they walked in, MJ takes in the size of the cabin. It feels like a Mcmansion, with its open concept design and amazing use of natural light. She unwraps herself as Peter asks where each of the bags go. When she hears, “What is this?!” from the top of the stairs, she presumes that Peter’s found the box in his room. 

“Happy,” MJ asks, “did you put it upstairs?”

“It was too big for the tree,” he says. “And since Peter’s staying in the loft,” Happy adds, “it’ll still give all of us a chance to see it.” 

“Fair choice,” MJ said as she folded her coat over her arms, “Where do I?”

Coat closet is under the stairs, MJ,” Pepper says from the kitchen, “Make yourself at home, I have to go make sure Morgan’s not eating all the cookies.”

MJ nods and walks to the closet as Peter rushes down the stairs and asks again, “What’s in the big box?”

MJ shrugged, taking May and then his coats, hanging them up next to her own. 

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Morgan squeals running up to Peter. 

“Me, too, kiddo,” he says picking her up. 

“Hi, MJ,” Morgan says as she lays her head on Peter’s shoulder. 

“Hi, Morgan,” MJ responds, “Thank you for having us. I’m very excited to be here.”

“Me, too,” Morgan says, “I can’t wait to see what’s in the big box. Momma said that Santa dropped it off special here for Peter.”

“He did?” MJ asks in disbelief, “he must have known we were coming and wanted you to see it, too.”

“That’s what Momma said.”

Peter narrows his eyes between MJ and Peter, “I’ll have to write Santa about this; I didn’t think I’d be getting gifts that wouldn’t come to me.”

“It’s because you’ve been an extra good boy, Peter,” May said patting his arm, “and Santa knows how special Morgan is--

“That’s what I was thinking, May,” MJ says as she goes to the kitchen, “because she gets to see so much of what Peter does at work, I think Santa thought this was the kind of gift that Morgan would like seeing.”

MJ is greeted by Pepper with an unexpected hug, “Good to see you, MJ,” she says, “so glad you could be here.” 

MJ smiles and says, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do, thank you so much for sharing the holiday with me.”

“Oh, no, Morgan and I set the table before you arrived and the food’s already out,” there’s hot cocoa in the carafe by the stove and hot water for tea is right next to the kettle. Peter told me some of your favorites so we’re well-stocked,”

“He’s so thoughtful, that Peter,” MJ says unable to keep warmth from her face. 

Pepper smiles as she grabs Morgan from Peter. 

MJ serves herself and Peter a mug of cocoa before they both make their way to the table. MJ watches them gush over Peter and Morgan, alternating as the two eat, slowly integrating MJ when Happy starts talking about the car ride, which then leads to Morgan sharing her judgment of MJ, and the girl talk they’ll have later because Morgan still hasn’t heard about how the dance went. The conversation provides insight into the work Peter’s been doing at Stark Industries, consulting on suit and shield design based on his own experiences with various aspects of the technology, sprinkled in with privacy concerns and risks for civilian-designed tools. 

May insists they stop shop talk and starts asking questions about the house, every so often squeezing Happy’s hand. Morgan, then, keeps Peter and MJ entertained with stories from school, the new toys she found that her mom won’t let her play with and her ideas for the suit she’d like to wear when she takes over the family business. 

MJ feels Peter nudge his foot against hers under the table, and she lets her pinky brush his, trying to not divert too much attention from Morgan. She sits and listens attentively, moving to clear the plates when Pepper starts getting up from her seat. She helps her load the dishwasher and store the food as Happy and May take a seat in front of the fire and Morgan brings Peter to Tony now Pepper’s office to show her the drawings she made. 

MJ rinses as Pepper loads, taking pause when she sees a picture of Tony and Peter framed behind the dish rack. “Wow,” MJ says clearing her throat. 

“He saw a lot of himself in Peter,” Pepper says, “and also a great deal more…”

MJ nods, trying to focus on rinsing the plates. 

“I’m so glad I saw it before,” Pepper says clearing her throat.

“I know there’ll be a day when,” MJ says, “I’ll need to ask you how you did it.”

“Peter will make different choices, Em,” Pepper says setting her hand on MJ’s shoulder. 

Looking up at her, MJ swallows and says, “And some of the same ones…”

They hold their gaze with each other until MJ turns off the water and Pepper loads the last dish. Pepper takes MJ in her arms and MJ is able to let a few tears slide before Peter says, “so Morgan wants to know when we can open my present?” 

They part at the sound of his voice, MJ leaving the kitchen first, saying, “May, was he this patient on Christmas Day?”

“No,” May chuckles turning in her seat to face MJ, “he still wakes up after he hears Santa leave the house.”

Happy and MJ laugh at Peter’s expense, Morgan quickly joining in. “Let’s see what Santa left you, Parker.”

They follow Peter up the stairs and gather round him as he walks around the box to see how to unwrap it. “Wanna help me, Mo?” He bends down to ask Morgan. 

When she nods, he leads her to the farther side of the box and they rip the paper off in wide ribbons that scattered on the floor. The box stands on its height, its length just short of Morgan’s height. “How do I open it?” Peter asks looking around the room.

“You have it standing on its height, Peter,” Happy says without his sight anywhere. 

Morgan holds it as Peter rips open the top and pulls out the framed picture. 

“It should fit nicely above your desk, Pete,” May says, “I measured twice.”

Morgan takes it in and asks, “Where’s mine--

“Still in your room,” Pepper says folding her arms and pointing with her to Peter saying, “This is another one just for Peter.”

“Oh,” Morgan says shrugging and leaning against Peter’s legs. 

“That’s wonderful,” May says as Happy wraps an arm around her shoulder and she looks at MJ. 

MJ bows her head in agreement, not wanting to let Morgan know she had produced it. 

Peter sets it down, taking it in while Morgan shares stories she has about the Avengers she’s met and that still come to visit. He focuses on her and shares some of his own while the others trickle downstairs. Pepper and MJ stay watching them until Morgan starts to yawn. “It’s time for bed, sweetie,” Pepper says walking up to her standing next to Peter.

“I’m not sleepy,” she says yawning again.

“That was another yawn, Mo,” Pepper tells her, “let's at least get you in your pj’s and if you still have energy, you can play with Peter.”

Morgan nods and grabs her mother’s hand. 

From the looks of it, MJ thinks, the kid’s gonna pass out fairly quickly. 

As MJ hears them walk up to their rooms above her, she sits on the futon that will be Peter’s bed for the week and says, “that’s not bad…”

“Not at all,” Peter says sitting next to her, “Santa’s got a good eye.”

MJ nods, “Totally.”

Peter meets her gaze and smiles, squeezing her hand. “You’re amazing,” he whispers.

“That’s my line,” MJ says nudging him with her shoulder. 

“So that’s how you know Misses Stark?” he asks leaning back. 

MJ nods following his lean. “She said you could call her Pepper too, if you wanted, but that you didn’t.”

He shook his head, “I was the second to last person to talk to him,” he explained, “she had to take me away from him so I know what it means to be here, to be a part of,” he sniffled and wiped his nose, “his family. I sometimes feel she hired me because I took it so hard--

MJ nods, squeezing his hand, “because you’re family,” she said resting the hand she was holding onto her leg. “And you get to tell the Tony stories no one else can and from,” she pauses, considering her words, “from your lens, which is the best thing for the little one…”

He nods leaning on her shoulder.

“It’s so hard for anyone not to love you,” MJ says looking out into the dark sky outside. 

“I’m gonna be such a sappy dad,” he jokes. 

“I know,” she says with a soft chuckle, “I’m gonna have to have tissue boxes all over our house.” 

“You’re just so sure,” Peter said lifting his head to look at her, “aren’t you?”

“You’re home, Peter Parker,” she said smoothing her hand against his cheek, “you’re home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my first canon-inspired spideychelle fic. After months of reading so many amazing ones, I wanted to write a more MJ centric one that explored her dynamic with Peter in light of how they were both affected by the blip.  
> MJ and Pepper having the conversation they had was, well, I'm not sure if it was too soon or if it didn't make sense. I didn't expect to get there because I didn't set Pepper up really well. I know there were good fics that brought them together because, for Tony, MJ was Peter's Pepper, but I wanted to try and having them come together because MJ realized she may be in a similar position to Pepper as her relationship with Peter continues. What do you think?  
> I appreciate you sharing the ride with me. If I write a third part to the series, I hope to get a good beta so it's easier to read.  
> Please share feedback and recommendations regarding if/how to approach a third part. 
> 
> Thanks again and Happy Holidays!!


	10. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As he spoons around her, she whispers. “We can’t be like this for long.”
> 
> “May will be fine,” Peter says to the crook of her neck. 
> 
> “I’m talking about Morgan,” MJ says turning in Peter’s arms to face him. “She’s not really used to sharing you…”
> 
> He opens his eyes only to roll them and pull MJ in tighter. 

In the morning, she walks out into a quiet house. The multi-story cabin could fit at least 2 of her apartments. It’s modest and she’s feeling very small in a house so big. Still, she wants tea, so she makes herself some and makes her way back up the stairs. The loft in which Peter is sleeping doesn’t have a door and she peeks in, taking in his soft face, his sideburn curl and the dimple on his right cheek. 

As she walks away from the doorway, she hears him hiss, “MJ?”

She turns around and walks back to the doorway, “Sorry, I thought you were sleeping.”

He lifts his blanket and scoots to make room for her to join him, holding a finger to his mouth and saying, “shh.”

She sets her cup to the side, then crawls into the spot Peter made for her. As he spoons around her, she whispers. “We can’t be like this for long.”

“May will be fine,” Peter says to the crook of her neck. 

“I’m talking about Morgan,” MJ says turning in Peter’s arms to face him. “She’s not really used to sharing you…”

He opens his eyes only to roll them and pull MJ in tighter. 

“I’m serious,” MJ insists.

“She loves you,” he tells her while drawing circles in the middle of her back. 

“You love me,” she whispers in the crook of his neck.

“So she’ll love you,” he says kissing her forehead. 

“You’re lucky I love you,” she says sliding her hands under his shirt. 

“Yeah, you do,” he responds, wrapping his arms around her tighter. 

She wakes to the sound of clatter downstairs, and Peter nowhere to be found. She takes her time walking down to find Happy and Peter making pancakes, Morgan and May watching them from the counter. 

“G’morning,” she says as she enters their scene. 

“Peter said you had a bad dream,” Morgan says turning her head to look up at her, “that’s why you weren’t in the room.”

MJ blinks slowly and confirms with a, “Yeah, worried about school,” she lies, using the singsong voice she uses with single-digit-aged people. “I was telling Peter about it and he said just to close my eyes and oof! Here I am a few hours later.”

“Peter knows how to make the bad guys go away,” Morgan says turning to the growing stack of pancakes. 

“Don’t worry,” Happy says and then whispering, “May wasn’t in here.”

“I heard that,” she shouts from the sofa. 

The four in the kitchen smile to each other, all but Morgan containing their laughter. 


End file.
